La Figlia Della Luna
by unconditionally-infinite
Summary: It's in her fifth year when Alison Spinner's life is thrown for a few loops - kidnapped by a convicted criminal, amnesia, her mother is slowly dying. What's a fifth year Hufflepuff supposed to do? (SLOW UPDATES - SORRY)
1. Chapter 1

**So, I have a new story. It is a Harry Potter fanfiction, obviously.  
For those who have read 'Little Light' and want the sequel, I'm working on it. In the meantime, I have this idea and I like it; I have a few chapters written already.  
Anyone who hasn't read 'Little Light', please go read it? If you like the Vampire Diaries and love the Original family then you might like my story.  
**

 **Please review and tell me what you think about this one, and LL if you read it. It helps me with ,y writing and sometimes gives me ideas for the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any character, location, name, plotpoint, etc. that J. has written. I claim no right over the 'Harry Potter' franchise and only own any characters that are not in the books.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: 16 Pages**

Alison Spinner was a normal ten – now eleven – year old girl. She was small, thin and lean. She had delicate features, almost fairy like with beautiful creamy skin, barely any blemish on them. Her eyes were hooded in a way that people dreamed they had, and they were a beautiful bright green. Her nose was small and her lips a pale pink, contrasting greatly with her pale skin. Her hair was a few inches below her shoulders and normally had some sort of wave in it, as she mostly wore it up. She looked like most eleven-year-old girls but she had a quiet aura around her that seemed to ooze with gentleness and calmness.

Alison grew up in central London with her single mother, Clarice. Clarice was an imposing figure and an extremely successful business woman. The older woman was tall, a statuesque figure with blonde hair. She had sharp features; her cheekbones looked like razorblades. She never really smiled, only scowling or having her lips set in a thin line. She also never got off of her phone; she always was talking to someone, whether it be business or shopping.

Clarice never really had time for Alison; she was continually working. It suited both perfectly fine; they were bother independent people. Though, Alison occasionally found herself wishing that her mother would do something with her, even for a few hours.

Neither one of them knew what happened to Alison's father. He left when she was a baby. Clarice never spoke of him and Alison never asked. It never occurred to her to. Why would she want to know about someone who had left her? He wasn't someone worth knowing. True, her mother had her young but that shouldn't be an excuse.

As stated before, Alison Spinner was a normal kid. She got good grades regularly, even when she switched from private school to home-schooling two years ago. She played piano and guitar and was a dancer at her local dance studio. She liked to draw and paint, finding it relaxing and fun at the same time. She didn't mind getting dirty when outside, and she _certainly_ didn't mind getting dirty when it came to food.

Alison Spinner was absolutely and completely _normal._

Well, she _was,_ until a woman turned up at their apartment dressed in the most peculiar clothes Alison had ever seen. She was older, with greying hair that was up and hidden by a pointy witches hat. She had on long emerald robes and a small smile on her face at the shocked expression on the child's face.

"Hello, Alison." The woman said. Alison's mother came up behind her, pausing in her conversation on the phone and stared at the woman. "May I come in?"

It was with those words that Alison's life changed forever.

* * *

Alison stared out the window of the car as they flashed through the streets. Her hair was in a braid, clips holding the stray pieces of hair at bay. She picked at her jeans and sighed, staring longingly out the window.

That day happened a month ago. The woman, Minerva McGonagall, had entered their home and didn't beat around the bush. She asked Alison questions, causing the girl to be more confused but she complied.

" _I once made water turn into juice." Alison had explained softly. Her feet were tucked beneath her on the lounge, nervously twisting her hair between her fingers. It was a bad habit of hers, one that she needed to stop. It caused too many knots in her hair at the most inconvenient times. "And I got really mad a few years ago and set the lounge on fire. Well, at least I think it was me."_

 _Minerva had smiled, her face wrinkling even further. "You are a witch, Miss Spinner, and a powerful one at that."_

 _Clarice had dropped her phone to the floor, cursing colourfully as it cracked. She picked it up and glared at the strange woman._

" _Witch?" She repeated, shaking her head. "Absurd! There are no such things!" It was one of the only times that Alison agreed with her mother; there were no such things as witches! And even if there was, and she was one of them, doesn't that mean she was evil? All the witches in fairy tales were._

 _Alison watched as Minerva pursed her lips and reached into her robes to pull out a stick. It took a moment for Alison to realize that it was a wand, judging by the handling on the end. Her eyes widened as the elder witch waved her wand fluidly and a vase that had been resting on the coffee table suddenly transformed into a bird. It chirped once before flying around their heads, doing loops and twirls. Alison giggled, truly transfixed._

" _I can assure, Miss Spinner," Minerva spoke. "There is such a thing as witches, and you're daughter is one of them." Clarice couldn't speak; she was stunned into silence._

" _How did you do that?" Alison breathed, eyes following the bird. It flew down to rest back onto the table, transforming back into the vase. Minerva winked, pocketing her wand._

" _Practice." She said simply. "And you will learnt that too, among other things, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is a school for children, such as yourself, who go to learn how to control their magic. From the time they are eleven to the time they are seventeen or eighteen they will master their magic thoroughly."_

The idea of heading to a school that was filled with people just like her, where you got to learn how to transform things and learn how to fly excited Alison. Her mother wasn't too keen but had finally relented, if only because she couldn't be bothered arguing with her.

Minerva had taken her out to a place called Diagon Ally. This is where she got all of her supplies, robes and then some. She had bought a lot of books, if only because she was curious. She doubted she would actually read them all but it was nice knowing they were there if she needed them.

Her hands found her wand, tucked safely into her pocket. It was Mahogany with a… dragon, heartstring? Apparently it was good for spells, easily picking up magic and connected with the owner. Alison had no idea what the strange man from the wand shop meant but it sounded good, so she didn't question it.

Minerva had left after that, taking her home and telling her that the train would be leaving at 11am September 1st. Coincidently, it was her 11th birthday. Her mother had given her pancakes and a really expensive necklace but other than that, she received no gifts. She was fine with that; it had always been like that.

Alison continued to stare out her window, trying to ignore her mother's chattering (She was on the phone… again) and thought about Hogwarts. She envisioned what it would look like; she had a rough idea but actually seeing the castle… that would be spectacular. She read it was one of the most wondrous sights in the world. She couldn't wait to see if that was true.

Alison was interrupted from her thoughts by the car stopped just outside the grand entrance. She lifted her head, meeting her mother's gaze.

"Can you go by yourself, honey?" She asked, eyes flashing. "I know you are leaving for a while but I have a real emergency at work. You wouldn't mind, would you?" Alison knew that what she really meant was: "I don't really want to go with you. Just get your stuff and leave. See you." Nevertheless, Alison nodded.

"Sure." She mumbled, opening the door. She got out, alongside her mother. She pulled a patchwork backpack out from the backseat and onto her back. It had her uniform, a few books, water and some snacks. Her trunk, which was incredibly large, held the rest of her uniform, school books, normal clothes, toiletries and such. There was another smaller suitcase that held more delicate things, like quills, cauldrons and any other breakable things. Her mother grabbed a trolley and helped place her luggage onto it. With a kiss on the cheek, she was back in the car and off, leaving behind a slightly saddened daughter.

Alison knew that Clarice hadn't really ever wanted a daughter, much less any child. She just wasn't the type. She was a business woman through and through, and Alison was proud of her for all of her accomplishments but sometimes she wondered what it would be like with a mother who actually wanted you.

Sighing, she began pushing the trolley towards the station. It was busy today and Alison couldn't help but look around, searching for any other magical folk. She had discovered that most witches and wizards don't dress like muggles a lot, so when they do they stand out. She thought she spotted an older man but he was gone before she could investigate further.

As Alison walked through the crowds she pulled out her ticket. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Platform 9¾?" She murmured to herself. She hadn't ever heard of that platform before. She looked at the ticket again, making sure what she read was right. "How strange…"

Alison made her way through the crowds, trying to find platform nine. It was hard though; she was little and kept getting pushed around. She could hardly see in front of her, let alone anything else! Grunting in frustration, she continued on, hoping to find anyone who could point her in the direction of platform nine. Luck was on her side though, when she accidently bumped into someone.

"Oh!" She gasped, pulling the trolley away. She ran around it. "I'm terribly sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!"

The woman she had bumped smiled charmingly at the girl.

"Nonsense!" She said, waving her hand. Alison took in the eccentric woman; she was dressed oddly and all her clothes looked like they had been repaired many times. Her hair was bright red and short, emphasising the woman's bright face more. She was a plump lady, Alison noticed, and short, though she still towered over Alison. Two children, younger than Alison it seemed, stood behind their mother; both had equally bright red hair.

"Still, so sorry." Alison repeated, brushing a flyaway bit of hair from her face. The woman straightened her clothes and smiled.

"Don't worry, deary," The woman said sweetly. She patted Alison's cheek, eyes going to her trunk. "Oh, you a Hogwarts student then?"

Alison stopped.

"S-sorry?"

"Oh, no need to panic!" The woman laughed. Alison blushed, looking to the floor. "I just sent my sons off! What year are you in, deary?"

"First year, ma'am."

The woman waved her hand. "Please, call me Molly." She held out her hand to the girl, giving it a firm shake. "The two behind me are Ron and Ginny." Ron gave a little wave but Ginny hid behind her mother. Alison laughed softly.

"Are you two going to Hogwarts?" She asked them. Ron shook his head, opting to stay quiet.

"I wanted to go," Ginny mumbled into her mother's side. "But mum said I couldn't go. Had to wait until I was eleven, like everybody else." The girl looked so put out. She obviously wanted to go to Hogwarts badly. Alison didn't blame her; she's been counting down the days since she found out she was a witch.

"Where are your parents?" Molly asked suddenly. Alison's grin slipped off her face but she made an effort not to look too sad.

"Oh… My mum's working and my dad…" She trailed off, not really knowing how to word it. Luckily, she didn't have to; Molly only smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, deary." She said. Molly then waved to her cart. "Come on then; We'll take you to the platform." Alison was surprised at her statement; she didn't have to do that.

"You don't have to do that!" Alison insisted but the older woman didn't listen. Realizing she was losing her she quickly began pushing her trolley through the crowds once more, keeping her eyes on the plump red-head and her children. The moved with difficulty towards platform 9. As Alison stopped, she was confused. Molly saw her expression and gave a chuckle.

"You go through the wall, deary." She explained. Alison's eyes widened and she glanced wearily at the wall in front of her.

"But won't I crash?"

"Heavens no! Only muggles aren't allowed onto Platform 9 ¾." The woman laughed. She waddled forward and lined Alison up with the wall. The girl's hand clutched the handles tightly, nerves suddenly overcoming her body. What if she got rejected? What if they had made a mistake, and she really wasn't a witch? She flinched at the thought.

"So, I just ran through the wall?" Alison asked. Molly nodded.

"Go straight ahead and you'll pop out onto the platform." Molly said. "Take a running start if you had to." Alison nodded, taking a deep breath. She eyes the wall warily, but decided that it wouldn't hurt to try.

Much.

"Thank you again, Molly." Alison said. "Without you I probably would have missed the train." The older woman smiled, hugging her children close to her.

"Good luck!" Ginny piped up. Alison smiled at her and took another deep breath, tightening her grip on the handles. Her heart thumped in her chest and she took off. The wall came closer and closer and for a moment Alison panicked. She needn't have worried:

She went right through the wall.

Molly Weasley watched the young blonde pass through the barrier and sighed. At least she would know where to go from now on.

Molly frowned as she thought about the young girl; she had been alone. She had a mother obviously and her father was out of the picture. Surely she had aunts or grandparents to send her off. She was so little too, and beautiful! That girl would be a stunner when she was older; Molly smirked when she realized that her twin boys were in the same year as the girl.

 _This_ should be interesting…

* * *

Alison had fully expected to crash into the wall but she hadn't. She felt air whoosh past her ears then she stumbled out onto another platform, filled with people. A grin lit up her face when she saw the sign.

Platform 9 ¾.

Something flew past her ear and she whirled around. A paper plane did a loop right in front of her before taking off. A couple of kids ran past her, shouting and laughing. There was a girl a few feet away from her, begging her mother to let her take some self-writing quill. Her mother didn't look like she would give in any time soon.

Alison turned to look at the bright red train that stood in front of her. The train wasn't like the ones on the other side of the barrier; it was majestic, and really long!

The whistle blew loudly, shocking Alison out of her thoughts. She glanced at the clock and realized she had only fifteen minutes until the train was due to leave. Quickly, she pushed her trolley through the crowds. Towards the end she saw a few people lugging their luggage into a compartment. She hesitantly approached a small boy, with dark hair and a round face.

"Um, excuse me?" She asked. "Would you mind helping me put my trunk in there?" The boy turned toward her and grinned.

"Sure!" He answered enthusiastically. Alison sighed in relief and together they hauled her trunk onto the train. She pushed it back with a grunt, wondering why on earth she had packed so much.

"Thank you." She said once they had finished. The boy grinned again and held out his hand to her.

"I'm Cedric." He said. Alison smiled lightly and grasped his hand in hers.

"Alison." She said quietly. "Are you a first year?"

Cedric nodded. "I've been waiting my entire life to go to Hogwarts. My dad was in Hufflepuff, so was my mum and I'm sure I'll be in that too." Before Alison could ask him what on earth a 'hufflepuff' was, someone called his name. He glanced behind him and sighed. "My parents are calling me! It was nice meeting you, Alison." He bounded off through the crowds, leaving a startled and slightly confused girl behind.

The whistle blew again and Alison thought that is was time to get on the train. She swiftly made her way onto the train and walked down the aisle in search of a compartment. She found one right in the middle, pulling her suitcase and backpack in with her. With some difficulty, she was able to get her suitcase onto the shelf above. Letting out a breath she sat down on the seat, placing her bag next to her. A flash of red caught her eye but when she looked out the window it was gone. She shrugged to herself. Probably just some magical flying contraption.

That thought sent excitement down to her stomach. She was amazed at all she had seen already and she hadn't even been to the school yet! Magic just seemed more and more appealing as the day wore on. When she found out that she was a witch, she read quite a large number of books to get to know the magical world. There were so many things that normal people didn't know! Lots of famous people were witches and wizards and no one knew the difference!

A frown appeared on her face as she remembered what she had read last night in one of her books. It was about a little baby boy who had lost his parents to a dark wizard – the same wizard who was defeated by a one year old. She couldn't remember their names but she felt for the little boy. It must be hard not having your parents. She didn't have her father and that was hard enough.

Soon enough the train started moving; Alison watched all the parents and younger siblings waving goodbye. A good few were crying. It made Alison uncomfortable, knowing that her mother could really care less about Alison. She knew her mother loved her but would prefer to love her from a distance… where she didn't have to hear or see Alison.

Just a normal mother-daughter relationship.

Eventually Alison pulled out her sketchpad and pencils, doodling idly to let the time pass. She didn't know how long it took to get to Hogwarts; for she knew it could take an hour or it could take twelve.

Alison didn't know how long she sat there for until she heard a knocking at her door. She looked up, hand pausing over the paper. She was face with two bright-eyed lanky twins; they both had extremely bright red hair and freckles covering most of their skin. Alison was briefly reminded of the woman she met earlier, Molly.

"Sorry." One of them boys said sheepishly. "But you don't mind if we sit here, do you?" Alison shook her head, eyes trained on the two boys. They were both carrying a small backpack and were wearing clothes that again, reminded the blonde girl of Molly. She was temped to ask them if they were related but figured that it would be weird to ask that to strangers.

And you know… rude.

"Sorry 'bout this." One of the boys said. Alison couldn't tell if it was the same boy who spoke before. They were so identical it was frightening. Nothing was really distinguishable between them. Their hair was the same length, their faces the same shape and their eyes the same colour. Alison figured it would change as they got older and their features began to come through.

"It's fine." Alison said quietly. She gently folded her sketchpad back up and placed her pencil back in their holder. "I was just doodling."

"Our older brother let us stay with him and his friends up the front but he kicked us out after an hour."

His twin smirked. "Don't know why, of course –"

"– only trying to practise a few spells –"

"–to just be prepared for school. Though, maybe trying to set his robes on fire–"

"–wasn't the best way to practise."

Alison stared at the twins, taking note of their confident persona and obviously mischievous personality. They were both smirking now, obviously remembering their brother's reaction. Alison had an inkling that it wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

"Anyway," One of them said cheerily. He leaned over from where he sat across from her and held out his hand. "I'm George Weasley. This is my twin, Fred." Alison accepted his hand, giving it a soft shake before leaning back. His twin waved at her, smirking and she just knew that they were pulling something over her.

"Nice to meet you, Fred." She said to the twin she had shook hands with. "You too, George." The twins gaped at her, shocked.

"How'd you know?" George exclaimed, leaning forward. Alison shrugged, smiling.

"You two seem like trouble." Alison said. The boys shared a glance, full of mischief and humour. "It would be fitting for you to try and mix up your names."

Fred snorted, leaning back in his seat.

"We're not stupid." He said. "I know my name; mum insists on reminding us every year at Christmas."

"Ugly sweaters with the first letter of our names on the front." George explained. Alison laughed; she pulled her knees up onto the seat, hugging them to her chest.

"So you know your names are Gred and Forge, then?" She teased. The twins laughed and George eyes her with a grin.

"I have a feeling we're going to be great friends," George paused. "What is your name, anyway?" Fred roared with laughter, making George blush and Alison giggle.

"I'm Alison." She said between giggles. "Alison Spinner." George grinned at her and leant forward.

"So, Alison Spinner," He said dramatically. He was trying to use a deep voice but with a voice as high as his it wasn't very deep. "What house do you think you will be placed in?"

"House?" She repeated uncertainly. She looked between the two boys, confusion evident on her face. "What house? Aren't we going to a school?"

"Oh, you a muggleborn, are you?" Fred asked. He studied her, not letting her say anything before continuing. "Not that matters; just must be hard heading to a place you had no idea existed until a few weeks ago."

"Muggle-born… That's a magical child born to non-magical parents, right?" Alison was sure that she had read that somewhere. Minerva McGonagall had said that's what she was but hadn't really gone into detail about it. Alison just had to guess; the teacher had kept using the word 'muggle' in the conversation, which Alison had eventually figured out meant non-magic people.

"Yep." Fred nodded. "So I'm guessing you don't know about the four houses?" Alison shook her head and Fred sighed dramatically. Alison rolled her eyes and gestured for him to continue, making him grin. "The Hogwarts Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin." He spat out the last name, almost like it tasted bad on his tongue. Alison guessed he didn't like that particular house and either did his brother, judging from his expression.

"The houses were created by each of the four founders of Hogwarts. Each house has different traits that they value."

"Ravenclaw likes the brainy bunch." George cut in. "You know, the ones with their head stuck in a book."

"And Hufflepuff is for the pansies." Fred said. Alison laughed at his blunt tone and he grinned. "Hufflepuff is for people who are fair and kind and hard-working and blah. Slytherin, however is for the cunning."

"What my brother means to say is that it is for pure-blood elites that think they're better than everyone."

"Yes, that too."

"What about Gryffindor?" Alison asked. Both boys lit up and excitedly starting talking.

"Gryffindor, the best house–"

"–the greatest house of all–"

"–lie the daring and the brave."

"Our whole family has been in Gryffindor." George explained. "Our mum and dad–"

"–Our two oldest brothers–"

"–And of course dear Percy." The twins snickered, obviously sharing a private joke.

"I'm guessing you're hoping for Gryffindor, then?" Alison said, staring at the twins.

"Hoping? Dear Miss Spinner, we know!" George cried. Fred leaned forward once again, eyeing the blonde girl across from him.

"What do you think you'll be in?"

Alison thought about it for a moment. Obviously Slytherin was out of the question; it didn't sound particularly spectacular from how the twins acted when it was mentioned. Ravenclaw sounded nice; she liked to learn and picked up on things pretty well. Gryffindor sounded alright as well, thought she wasn't very daring. Living as an only child, home-schooled and sometimes by herself, it had made Alison a little more cautious. She had to look out for herself for a while and had quickly learned not to do anything too risky without her mother around. Which was a lot.

"Hufflepuff." Alison finally said. She wasn't looking as the boys shared an amused glance, instead staring out the window. They were passing some beautiful green fields, almost sparkling in the sunlight.

"Hufflepuff?" Fred repeated. Alison nodded, still looking out the window.

Hufflepuff sounded the best out of the four. It sounded quiet and kind; it was the things that Alison valued in herself and other people.

"Or maybe Ravenclaw." Alison finally looked at the boys, who were watching her intensely. "I don't really know, to be honest but somehow I don't think end up in Gryffindor." She shrugged.

"Aw, and to think we thought you were alright!" George teased, eyes glinting. The blonde rolled her eyes and asked sarcastically, "Is lack of tact a trait in Gryffindor too?"

The three spent the next few hours talking, though Alison was a lot quieter than her acquaintances. She noticed that they loved a good joke and loved pranks; she was sure that it would be an interesting few years with these two roaming the Hogwarts halls.

Around an hour after it went dark the train started to slow. Alison peeked out of the window, excitement building in her as a station pulled into view. No one was there, except a really large man with a big black scruffy beard. He was holding a lantern and was waving cheerily at the students through the window.

"Oi, George! We're here! We're finally here!" Fred exclaimed, pressing his face against the window. George joined him, a large beaming smile on his face. He glanced down at Alison, who was also looking out the window and she met his gaze with large smile of her own.

"Firs' years! Come with me! Firs' years!" The large man that Alison saw from before was standing in the middle of the platform. He was yelling out to all the first years and Alison, Fred and George walked over to him.

 _He is huge!_ Alison thought, gazing up at him. He was incredibly tall! Almost giant like!

The first years followed the giant down a long winding path. A few stumbled, including Alison but Fred and George grabbed her arms just in time. She spent the next few minutes with bright red cheeks, getting teased by the twins. They followed the giant to the edge of a lake, where many little boat were line up on the shore.

"Four in a boa'!" The man shouted. He was clambering in to one himself and seemed to only just fit inside the small space. Alison felt a little uneasy as she stepped into the rickety boat; it looked old and like a slight bit of movement would cause it to sink.

"Don't look so nervous, Spinner." Fred grinned – well, she thought it was Fred. It could have been George but so far she had been able to keep track of who was Fred and who was George.

"I can't help it." Alison said. She sat down on the little seat at the front, turning to look at him. His twin clambered to sit beside her and another girl with dark skin sat in the back with Fred. "The boats look so old."

"They're probably protected by some spells." George said as they started moving. He poked his head over the side, catching sight of an eye before leaning back. "I wouldn't worry too much."

They continued on, the boat moving effortlessly over the dark water. Alison wondered where exactly the castle was. She couldn't see it anywhere. Was it surrounded by water? Was the only way to access it by boat? And why were the first years the only ones in them?

"Hey, Alison," George nudged her side and gestured over to the edge of the boat. She eyed him warily and he rolled his eyes. "I want to show you something."

"Surely there is nothing interesting in the black water, George." She remarked, staying where she was.

"But I swear I just saw a pair of bright eyes!" George exclaimed. He waved her over again, pointing at the water. "Come look! They might pop up again!" Alison wanted to mention that maybe seeing eyes in a lake this dark wouldn't be the best thing but she held her tongue. Instead, she scooted closer to the red-haired boy and leaned over a little. When she saw nothing, she eased forward again.

Really, she should have seen it coming.

The blonde felt the hands on her shoulder and the gentle push they gave made her let out a tiny scream. She caught herself, but only just; the end of her braid touched the water and she violently flew back. The boat rocked heavily, making all four of the occupants still in hopes that the boat would eventually calm. When it did Alison let out a sigh of relief, her heart pumping wildly in her chest. She heard muffled laughter and turned to narrow her eyes at George. He was holding a hand to his mouth, obviously trying to smother his laughter. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Fred do the same thing and the girl was grinning.

"George Weasley…" Alison muttered dangerously. Said red-head swallowed his laughter and grinned.

"Feeling a little hot there, Ali?" He teased. He could see her face flush from anger and embarrassment. "Fancy a dip, did you?"

Alison sniffed and turned away from him. "If I wasn't so sure that I'd end up in there with you, I'd shove you under the boat. As it is, I also don't think you are worth it, you snotrag." At this Fred couldn't help it; laughter burst forth, making him double over. The girl next to him was barely able to contain her giggles.

George pouted, though his eyes contained amusement. "It was only a bit of fun; please forgive me?" He placed his hands together, eyes wide and innocent (something she was starting to believe neither of the twins were). She pretended to think about it for a moment before saying,

"No."

George opened his mouth to protest but the breath was suddenly caught in his throat as he gazed ahead. Frowning, Alison spun around and gasped. She heard several more follow her own.

Before them stood a magnificent castle. It looked so old! It was dark outside but the windows of the castle lit up. There were few towers, all very majestic looking. Alison's heart pumped in her chest as it slowly got closer. She was living there! For a whole _year!_ How amazing what that! Her home wasn't very big but it was nice and comfortable; when any of Clarice's friends came over they 'oohed' and 'awed' at the place. This place… Hogwarts topped everything she had ever seen and known. It _oozed_ magic. It was built on a cliff and surrounded by water, though it looked like there as a path to the castle from the station.

"HEADS DOWN!" The man bellowed. The boats reached a curtain of ivy that hid an opening in the cliff. Alison ducked her head, excitement coursing through her as they got nearer to their destination. They went through a dark tunnel; it seemed like forever until it opened up into what seemed like an underground harbour. Everyone stumbled slightly as their boats docked and they clambered out.

"Everyone here?" The large man caught a first year boy by the scruff of the neck as he nearly fell back into the water. "Watch your step; we have no idea what's in that water." The boy paled and Alison bit her lip to stop her sniggering.

The large man led them up a dark passage way. In front of her, Fred and George were trying to trip each other over in the dark. Alison rolled her eyes at their immaturity but didn't say anything to stop it. Eventually, they all made their way onto some damp grass right in front of the castle. Alison shared a look with Angelina, excited.

"A'righty then. Everyone right?" Everyone nodded and the giant man raised a huge fist, knocking on the large double doors with three almighty raps. With bated breath, Alison watched as the large doors swung open; a tall witch with emerald robes stood there and Alison gasped softly as she recognised the witch who had come to her about Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Hagrid." The stern faced witch nodded her head to the giant. "I'll take it from here."

The doors swung open some more, revealing a large entrance hall that was so big Alison swore it would fit her home in it… twice. The stone walls were lit with torches and the ceiling was so high she could barely make out any details. There was a large marble staircase in front of them that led up tot the upper floors. To the right was another pair of doors; hundreds of voices could be heard through them. It must have been the rest of the school. Nerves suddenly appeared, making Alison's stomach toss around slightly.

Professor McGonagall led them to a small chamber off the hall. They all filed in, having a hard time fitting in. Alison was pressed between George and Fred, who were making it their mission to see who could annoy Alison more. By the small smile on her face as she pushed them away, they weren't doing a very good job.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." The Professor said loudly, catching their attention. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly. I am sure you're all quite excited," Her gaze rested on a small group of girls in front of her, who all looked exceptionally nervous. "But before you take your seats, you will need to be sorted into your houses. Your houses will become like your family during your time at this school. You will have classes with them, sleep in your house dormitory and enjoy your free time in their respective common rooms. These four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"Each house holds many secrets and has its own noble history. Every house has produced remarkably outstanding wizards and witches. While at Hogwarts, you will earn house points for any triumphs you may have. Any rule breaking and you will lose some." Fred and George shared a look. "At the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you, whatever house you may be in, take it seriously."

She walked back towards the door and said, "The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly. I suggest you all clean yourselves up. I will come collect you when we are ready for you." She left the chamber, leaving behind a nervous bunch of first years.

"How do you think we get sorted?" Angelina asked Alison, who shrugged.

"I don't know." She said honestly. "I find it amazing how we even got here." The dark skinned girl nodded, completely agreeing with the blonde.

The twins had wondered off through the crowd and so the two girls stood waiting quietly. No one in the chamber seemed to make any noise; there were murmurs, of course, but everybody seemed too nervous to talk. Alison watched the door warily as time ticked on and she became more and more nervous. After what seemed like hours (but in reality was only minutes), the stern faced professor swept back into the room, looking over the gaggle of first years.

"The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin." She told them. "If you could all form a line and follow me, we shall go."

Quickly, the first years made themselves into a line and followed Professor McGonagall out into the Entrance Hall and towards the two grand doors. As she pushed them open the student inside quieted down and watched the first years enter.

Alison looked around the hall, completely enchanted with what she saw. Hundreds of candles lit up the hall, floating above the heads of the students who were all sitting down on four long tables. At the end of the hall was another long table where the teachers were all sitting. Above them, the roof of the hall looked like the sky outside; dark and littered with twinkling stars. It was hard to tell if the ceiling opened up to the sky or if it was just a spell.

"Look!" Angelina whispered from behind her. Alison's eyes scanned the room until she found what Angelina was looking at.

Silvery floating figures were along the walls of the hall, grinning at the newcomers. They were an odd bunch, she noticed, and all looked like they had stepped out of the medieval error.

 _How odd._ Alison thought but had no time to dwell on it. Professor McGonagall led them up to stop right before the teacher's table. Alison watched with interest as what seemed to be the headmaster looked down upon them, eyes twinkling madly.

Professor McGonagall produced a stool and placed a scruffy looking hat on it. In a moment of panic, Alison thought that maybe they were required to produce something form the hat. That notion was crossed off when the hat's seams split open and it began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head,  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave of heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in SLytherin,  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The hall burst into applause and Alison joined them, smiling at the patchy hat that bowed to each of the four houses. Professor McGonagall stepped forward, now holding a long string of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will come forward to sit on the stool and the hat will be placed on your head to be sorted." She unrolled the parchment and cleared her throat lightly. "Achery, Tiffany!"

And so began the long list of names being sorted. Alison amused herself by staring around the hall; her name would be one of the last, she was sure.

Eventually, she could find nothing new in the hall so she turned her attention back to the sorting. A boy named Roger Davies was sorted into Ravenclaw and Alison clapped when the boy she had met earlier, Cedric, ended up in Hufflepuff. He was beaming as he sat down at the table.

A few more went by until:

"Johnson, Angelina!"

"Oh Merlin!" The girl behind her whimpered. Alison turned to smiled reassuringly at her as she made her way through the crowd of first years and up onto the stool. She sat softly onto the stool and the hat was placed on her head. Not even thirty seconds later the hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Angelina beamed as the table to the far left table erupted in cheers, easily the loudest of the lot. Her friend ran towards the table, beaming at all the excitement.

Lee Jordan, a dark skinned boy with dreadlocks flounced up to the stool and was sorted into Gryffindor. Alison laughed as the Gryffindor table went up with cheers again.

A few more students were sorted and the group of first years grew smaller and smaller. As a boy with strong eyebrows was sorted into Slytherin, Alison couldn't help but be overcome with irrational fear. What if she couldn't be sorted? What if she was sent back home? What if she wasn't magic at all? The thought terrified her and made her hands start to shake. She took deep breaths to try and calm herself down, focusing on another girl who was sorted into Slytherin.

As the professor reached the 'S', Alison's stomach dropped and she was sure she turned green. A girl in front of her seemed to be swaying on the spot and when Professor McGonagall called out, "Spinnet, Alicia!" the girl seemed to trip over thin air. She blushed, scuttling to the stool. The hat barely touched her head before calling out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Alison watched the black-haired girl stumble to the table. There were only a few students left now, including the twins who had moved beside her.

"Spinner, Alison!"

 _Oh my god, oh my god, oh my GOD!_ That seemed to be the only thing that went through her mind as she slowly made her way up to the stool. Professor McGonagall smiled at her kindly as she sat down, but it did nothing to cure the nerves. It only magnified them, if anything.

The hat was placed on her head and she jumped when a voice started speaking.

"Hmm…" The Hat hummed. "Very peculiar… You are very kind, I can tell… You are brave yes, yes but not… certainly not Slytherin, though you are quite cunning." She felt she should have been offended but didn't. "That does not bother you, does it?"

"Of course not." She said quietly to it. She briefly wondered if anyone could see her lips moving; the hat covered her eyes. "Being cunning isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's how you use it."

"I see." The Hat murmured. "Well, I don't think you're a Ravelclaw; plenty of wit and thirst for knowledge but I don't believe it's suits you. Hmm, that leaves Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. You would do well in either, though dare I say that some Gryffindor's do not think before they act. A side effect of their daring nature, I suppose." A small giggle escaped her lips. "Well then, it seems that you belong in…"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table on the right cheered and Alison grinned as the hat was taken off her head. She beamed at Professor McGonagall and skipped towards the cheering table. Cedric was standing up, grinned wildly. He pulled her into a brief hug before sitting down with her beside him. A few of the older students smiled at her and waved politely. A girl with bright turquoise hair waved cheerily at her and accidently sent an empty cup spiralling to the floor.

"This is awesome!" He said brightly. "We're in the same house!" Alison nodded, feeling her heart beat against her chest rapidly. She was a Hufflepuff; Alison Spinner was a Hufflepuff at Hogwarts school for magic. She bit her lips, grinning as she turned back to the sorting.

A girl called Patricia Stimpson followed Alison and she went to Hufflepuff as well. Kenneth Towler went to Gryffindor, Cassius Warrington went to Slytherin and two more girls went to Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The twins were the last ones left and seemed to be already causing trouble by nicking some food of the plate of a red-haired boy. He looked incredibly like the twins; he must have been their older brother.

"Weasley, Fred!"

Fred sauntered up to the hat, grinning as the hat dropped onto his head. It was a few seconds before the hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" He ran over to the cheering table, taking a seat next to his brother. With a start, Alison realized there was three red-heads sitting at the table. George was only just walking up to the stool, so she realized that Fred and George must have two brothers attending.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Once again, the table went up in cheers and George joined his twin at the table. He spotted her, a table over from himself and gave her a bright grin. She laughed and waved.

"Now that the sorting is over," The headmaster stood up and Alison gaped at his long white beard. It almost touched the floor! "I must say welcome to all our new students and to all returning students. I am sure you are all hungry so, let the banquet begin!"

Gasps filled the hall, mostly from the first years as food suddenly appeared on the table in front of them. Potato, pie, pasta, steak… They had _everything!_ Alison's mouth watered and she suddenly realized how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since breakfast!

"Oh merlin…" Cedric moaned in delight. She turned to see his mouth stuffed with pie and sausage and despite how disgusting it looked, she laughed. He swallowed his food and grinned at her.

"Isn't this great?" He asked. Alison placed a small piece of steak in her mouth and held in her moan at the delicious taste. "I thought you might be a Hufflepuff but you also gave off that Gryffindor aura."

"Honestly, I didn't rally care what house I was placed in." Alison said, shrugging. "Though, I liked the sound of Hufflepuff from the start. It sounded so nice and pleasant."

"Ah, and it is!"

Alison gave a small shriek as a transparent head appeared through her plate. The ghost gave a jolly laugh, floating up and around her. She swivelled around, staring at the chubby ghost in shock.

"Fat Friar, Miss," He bowed low. He was smiling cheerily at her. "Resident Ghost of Hufflepuff house. You'll find that it is the best house!"

"Friar! Stop scaring the poor kids!" The girl who had knocked the goblet over threw a piece of sausage at the Fat Friar, though it just went right through him. He chuckled, floating up high.

"Ah, but Nymphadora-"

The girl's hair suddenly turned red as her face scrunched up in irritation. _"Don't call me Nymphadora!"_ Alison was too enthralled watching the girl's hair turn back to turquoise before gaining some length and going purple.

"How did you do that?" She asked, staring wide-eyed at the girl.

The girl grinned, taking a sip of her cup. "I'm a metamorphmagus. I can change my appearance at will." To prove her point, she made herself shorter and her hair blonder and soon, a double of Alison was staring back at her.

"Woah!" Alison breathed. "That's so cool!" The girl grinned and proceeded to tell her and Cedric all about Hogwarts. Alison was completely entranced; everything she had ever imagined couldn't even compare to what was really here.

After they had desert, which was extremely delicious, the hall fell silent as Headmaster Dumbledore ( _What a funny name!_ Alison thought to herself) rose once again. He addressed the school, smiling.

"Just a few start of term notices. First years, please note that the Forbidden Forrest is out of bounds to all pupils. Mr. Filch, our caretaker wishes me to inform you that no magic is to be used between classes in the corridors. Anyone wishing to try out for their house team, contact Madam Hooch. Quidditch Trials will be held in the second week of the term. Now, prefects; please escort your first years to bed. Off you trot everyone!"

Alison stood up, along with Cedric and looked around for their prefects. A tall boy with short brown hair and a girl with black hair were waiting at the end of the table. They smiled at the first years.

"Come along then," The boy said. They all scurried to follow him and as she exited the hall, she caught the twins eye. They waved at her, grinning madly. George managed to weasel his way through the crowd to her; Fred didn't have such luck.

"Congratulations, Spinner!" He shouted in her ear. She laughed as he twirled her around and ran back to his brother. Cedric laughed with her and ignoring her blushing cheeks she ran up to catch up with her house. They walked away from the other houses, heading down corridors that made the students voices slip further and further away.

"Now," The black haired girl led them down a hallway and into a little nook. Several barrels were lined up on the wall. "You'll find that Hufflepuff don't require a password in order to get to the common room. Or rather, you don't need a verbal one." The boy grinned, producing his wand.

"You have to tap the barrel two from the bottom," He pointed to the barrel in the middle of the second row. "With your wand to the rhythm 'Helga Hufflepuff'. Watch." He turned and making sure they could see, he tapped his wand on the barrel like he would say the founder's name. The barrel lid swung open, revealing a tunnel. "The tunnel's small, so you may be squished but you get used to it." They led the first years through the tunnel, not speaking until another round door was pushed open and they jumped down from the ledge.

"This, my little first years, is the Hufflepuff common room."

The common room was round, and very light; even though it was night the room seemed to just seep light. There were plants everywhere, even hanging from the low ceiling. Round little windows decorated the top of the walls in threes. Alison could just make out the rippling grass through the window. Comfy armchairs and lounges scattered the room, covered with pillows and all either yellow or black. A large mantelpiece had badgers carved into the wood and above it sat a portrait of who Alison assumed to be Helga Hufflepuff. The witch in the painting smiled brightly at the first years, who were all gazing around in amazement.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" The boy said, flopping down onto one of the arm chairs. "I'm Nathan Dillin, and that's Amanda Sheer, just so you know. We're the Hufflepuff Prefects."

"You'll like Hufflepuff." Amanda told them. "Our emblem is the badger; it's quiet but when provoked it can be quite harmful. Hufflepuffs, in a way, are the same. You'll find that the badger represents all of you in a way."

"Let me get one thing clear though." Nathan swung off the arm chair, standing up and crossing his arms. "We are NOT the house that gets stuck with the least clever witches and wizards, as some people believe. We don't particularly like to boast but occasionally we don't mind giving a reminder to the other houses that three Ministers for Magic were Hufflepuffs; as were the famous Bridget Wenlock and Hengist of Woodcraft. We've produced our fair share of talented people; we just don't boast about it as much as the other houses do."

"We also have the best security. In the past thousand years, no non-Hufflepuff has ever been inside this dormitory."

Amanda gestured to the various plants around the room. "As you can see we have many plants hanging around. Our Head of House, Professor Pomona Sprout, is Head of Herbology. You'll find that most Hufflepuffs are spectacular at Herbology."

"Our house ghost, the Fat Friar, is quite friendly." Amanda chuckled. "You can't miss him; he is dressed in a monk outfit and he's little and round. He is really helpful too, so if you see him around and you don't know your way just ask him. He is always happy to help, especially a fellow Hufflepuff."

"I think that is it for now." Nathan said, clapping his hands together. "Right, boys follow me. I'll take you to your dormitories."

"And girls, follow me."

Alison said goodbye to Cedric, who gave her another friendly hug and took off. She shook her head and followed Amanda to another round door. She pushed it open and stepped inside, waving all the first year girls through. Quickly, they all came through, gazing around. They were in a little tunnel of sorts and Amanda pointed to the one on the far right.

"That is where your dormitories are. All you stuff will be on in your room, which you share with four other people. I suggest you get a good nights sleep; we may not have class tomorrow but you will want to explore. Everyone okay?" At the nods the older girl smiled at them and waved them off in the direction of their rooms. All the girls scurried into the rooms but Alison took her time. Another girl, a short brown haired girl with green glasses decided to stray back as well.

"I'm too tired for this." The girl grumbled. Alison smiled, raising an eyebrow. The girl shrugged. "I'm tired and I'm stuffed. I just want to go to bed and hope I don't wake up fat tomorrow."

Alison laughed. "I'm Alison."

"I'm Janet, but please call me Jane." She rolled her hazel eyes as they stepped into the dormitories. "I honestly don't understand what in Merlin's balls my parents were thinking when they named me."

"I like Janet."

"I like you too, Alison!" Jane simpered, making Alison laugh again. Jane was very outspoken and seemed like a strong character but Alison didn't mind. She was a shy girl. She could make friends; it was just usually she had trouble trying to supply the conversation. It was easy with people like Jane and the twins. They were happy to do all the talking, as long as someone was listening.

Alison was happy as she had a shower and got dressed into her pyjamas. She snuggled into her four poster bed, covered with a patchwork quilt that was super warm and bid an almost passed out Jane a goodnight. She turned her lamp off and turned over.

Hogwarts had been amazing so far and classes hadn't started yet. She had met some really amazing people and seen so many amazing things. She couldn't wait until tomorrow, when she got to explore the castle. She wondered if Fred and George would join her. A frown crossed her face and she tossed to stare at the ceiling.

What if they didn't want to be around her anymore? They had probably already made friends with people in their own house. She had Cedric, she supposed, and that Janet girl seemed okay. The twins were something else though and she liked it. She just hoped that they would be able to stay friends.

* * *

As it was, she needn't have worried.

Alison made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast with Cedric, who was animatedly chatting to another boy. She didn't say anything at all; she doubted the boy knew she was there.

When they finally reached the Great Hall, Cedric was up ahead. Alison walked a little slower behind them, head down and hair in a ponytail. She watched the ground in front, chewing the inside of her cheek. As she passed through the doors she let out a little squeak as two hands grabbed her arms.

"Hey, Spinner!" One of the twins greeted and started pulling her towards the Gryffindor table. She struggled to get her arms free but no such luck; for a pair of lanky boys they sure were strong.

"Guys, my house is over there!"

"Oh, we know." George – she thought is was George because his hair was a little longer than his brother's – said, forcefully sitting her down. Fred sat down on the other side of her as if it would stop her form leaving.

"Then why –"

"Because we didn't get to know you very well yesterday and we want to." They chimed. Alison found it amusing that they spoke in union but was still confused as to why they had taken her away at breakfast.

She raised an eyebrow at them but sighed in defeat, taking a piece of toast and nibbling at it. She twins piled food onto their plates and dug in. She watched with mild amusement as they chugged down food. It was as fascinating as it was disgusting.

"Hello boys! Feeling –" A red head boy with a shiny badge pinned to his chest sat down across from them. He had bright red hair, like the twin, only a lot longer. He stopped talking when he noticed the timid blonde girl sitting between his brothers. He sighed, dropping his toast from where he had started buttering it and gave the twins a look. "What have you two done? You've only just started!"

"Excuse me but we have done nothing." Fred turned to his brother. "George, I think he is insinuating that we have caused some trouble."

"How dare you!" George cried mockingly, fake-glaring at his brother. "We would _never_ do anything of the sorts!" He paused, tilting his head. "Unless you of course count the fact that we might have kidnapped Alison here, then we are the perfect angels." Alison snorted and they shot her look. She lowered her eyes grinning into her toast.

"Yeah because it wasn't you who scared Ron half to death with a spider or turned Bill's hair green for a whole month." The boy said sarcastically. He shook his head, though he was smiling. "Honestly you two; you'll be getting letters from mum by tomorrow!"

At his comment Alison frowned. She wanted to write to her mum and tell her everything she had seen and done but she doubted her mother would care. She was eager to see Alison off; it hadn't been a secret to anyone that she sometimes regretted having her. Clarice was made to do business; not raise children.

George noticed how Alison seemed to suddenly deflate. She looked bothered, if not a little sad at something, but he didn't know what. He didn't like seeing her look like that; it didn't suit her at all. Quickly, he pulled her ponytail out and her hand dropped her toast and reached for her hair.

"George!" She screeched. She blushed as a few people turned to stare at her but otherwise ignored them. "What was that for?"

"I was distracting you." He shrugged, grinning. "You looked bothered, so I distracted you."

"My knight in shining robes." She joked. She held out her free hand, the other holding her hair up. She hated having her hair down; her hair was really blonde and she always felt like she looked weird with all that blonde hanging around her face. "Can I have my hair tie back?" Who knew that those seven words would set in motion a beautiful chain of events.


	2. Chapter 2

**So here is chapter two! I hope you like it, and I apologize if there is any spelling mistakes or such! I did go through it but you know how it is.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any character, location, name, plotpoint, etc. that J. has written. I claim no right over the 'Harry Potter' franchise and only own any characters that are not in the books.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: 16 Pages**

 _Alison,_

 _My love, how I have missed you! It has been too long since we have last seen each other! I must see you; my heart aches for you, my dear! I need you like Fred needs his blankie! I need you –_

There were some smudges on the parchment.

 _ **I do NOT need my blankie! From when I was four! Shut your trap, George!  
**_ _Technically, I am writing. My trap is shut.  
_ _ **I will hurt you.**_

Alison giggled, brushing some hair from her face. She was sitting crossed-legged in her room, two nights before her birthday – and the day she returns to school.

Of course, when the twins found out her birthday fell upon the day they met her they were outraged that she had said nothing. A few weeks after they had gotten the Marauder's Map they snuck out to Hogsmeade and got some sugar quills for her. It had touched her heart and the sugar quills became her favourite lolly.

It had been four years since that day in the Great Hall. She was still incredibly shy, if not little witty and was one of the lesser known Hufflepuffs if it wasn't for the twins. Fred and George had proved that they were _not_ like their older brothers; in fact, they already had three detentions in their first week.

Of first year.

Their pranking personalities gained them popularity within the school. Alison had thought for sure that they would slowly drop her over time but they hadn't. They remained friends; even now, in their fifth year. They were the closest friends possible. She wasn't close with their friend, Lee Jordan but she got along with well enough. It never failed to amuse Fred and George how much she talked with them but as soon as someone else comes along she is quiet.

The past five years had been enjoyable. Cedric and her remained friends, though like most people, he was a lot more outspoken than she was. Jane had remained her roommate and Alison had discovered she was quite a personality. She wasn't like most Hufflepuffs; she was kind, yes but had no problem telling someone to shut their trap. She was loud as well and very outspoken. Fred had once joked they she should have gone to Gryffindor, to which he received a textbook to the head. Jane hadn't liked that idea.

Shaking her head, Alison began reading the letter again.

 _Anyway, after that rude interruption…  
All joking aside, I do miss you. I'm sure Fred has sent a letter claiming the same but we both know that I miss you more!_

Indeed, Alison thought as she glanced over to the letter sitting on her desk; Fred had sent her a short letter saying how much he missed her this summer and how annoying his mother has been. He wasn't being vague; she just had a different relationship with Fred than she did George. They were all friends, just in different ways.

 _I hope your summer went well. How was Italy? You know what, don't send anything back now. I'll be seeing you tomorrow anyway._ _  
_ _My summer has been pretty amazing. Visiting Egypt was great and seeing Bill. Don't tell him but I do miss him. The whole family does. Except Percy – he's a prat. Fred and I tried to lock him in a pyramid. Mum got angry and I haven't got a clue why.  
You wouldn't believe how many muggles tried to sneak into the tombs; a lot of the skeletons have grown extra heads and stuff! Mum wouldn't let Ginny in those ones. __  
__I really can't wait to see you. Summer was great but it's weird not to be able to visit you or you us. You are still coming to the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow, right? Harry's here – he was here when we got here. He wouldn't say much but I heard he blew up his Aunt! Like a balloon! How awesome is that?_

Alison frowned in concern at the last part. Poor Harry! Hasn't that boy been through enough? Just last year he fought off a basilisk, saved Ginny and fought off Voldemort. The previous year he had to do the same thing! Alison and Harry weren't very close but they were friends; he was best friends with the twins younger brother, Ron, a gangly red head with a large nose and lots of freckles. Those two, along with Hermione Granger, got into some trouble every year it seemed. Though, she was thankful they did last year. Ginny was kidnapped and most muggle-borns seemed to be getting petrified left and right. Unfortunately for her, she was one of them.

 _Anyway, everyone's here but you! I know that you are just dying to see me but be patient, love. At least you'll be leaving your mother tomorrow. Oh, and mum got you your books and stuff. She didn't want you to have to rush to get your stuff. She also asked me to tell you to eat some more – you are too skinny!_ _  
_ _Anyway, can't wait to see you tomorrow!_ _  
_ _Your favourite twin,_ _  
_ _George_

Alison smiled, hand brushing over the parchment lightly. Yes, definitely a different relationship indeed.

The next morning Alison got up a little late but still took her time showering and dressing. She put on some jeans and one of Fred's old shirts that she had stolen two year ago. As she got dressed she stared at herself in the mirror and smiled wryly.

She knew she was attractive, however vain that might sound. She was small with no meat on her what so ever. Her skin was always a moonlight pale but over the summer had developed some colouring. Not exactly a tan but she didn't look like a glow stick anymore. She had also been a bit of a late bloomer; it seemed that this summer was one for her body to grow and fill out. She was still super thin but had a slight curve to her waist and her breasts had developed somewhat. She gave her hair some layers, not daring to cut it any more than that. Her mother would have a complete conniption.

She smirked at her reflection as she pulled a jacket over her shoulders. Her hair was down today, something that rarely happened. She was known to carry packets of hair ties with her because a certain George Weasley kept pulling her hair out. Every time it was up – bun, ponytail or braid – he would pull it out. Since that first time in first year he had developed a routine of doing it whenever he saw her. He kept the hair ties too, so Alison had probably over a hundred packets waiting around. She also learnt to duplicate them, if she ran out.

Her cheeks went a little pink as she thought about George. She had a small crush on him since late last year; honestly, she thought it would pass. Didn't someone say that a guy and girl can be best friends but eventually one will fall for the other, temporarily or forever? Until then, she was stuck trying to hide her blushing cheeks whenever he was around. It wasn't hard; she was a quiet person, after all.

After Alison made sure everything was packed she pulled her trunk and bag down the stairs into the living room. Surprise, surprise; her mother was on the phone again. Alison rolled her eyes. Clarice and Alison's relationship hadn't improved since she was eleven. In fact, it seemed the older she got the more her mother wanted nothing to do with her. She wasn't mean or cruel; she just had no interest in her daughter's life.

But this past summer, whilst they had been in Italy with some of Clarice's colleagues and families, Clarice had been acting weird. She still wasn't very interested in her daughter, but made an effort to talk to her occasionally. She even briefly mentioned her father (which she never did) a couple of nights ago. She had also become smaller, her weight dropping. She was always tired and sunken in, the light taken out of her. They might not be close but she was still her mother; Alison worried.

"Alright, thank you, goodbye." Clarice sighed as she hung up, rubbing her face with her hand. Alison's footsteps alerted her presence and the woman opened her eyes.

"Oh, are you leaving now?" Alison shrugged, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder.

"I'm packed and all ready. Might as well leave now." She scrutinized her mother; she looked even worse than usual. "Are you alright? I don't have to leave."

Her mother waved her off. "I'm fine. Just stress; I have a really big deal coming up and it's not looking good." Alison nodded, not buying it but didn't want to annoy her mother. They both hated when people tried to figure out their problems and help them. If they wanted help, they would ask.

"Okay. Well, I'll see you Christmas?" She phrased it like a question, heading toward the door. She hadn't been home for Christmas since first year but she always asked, just in case. As they reached the door, Clarice paused, watching her daughter at the entrance.

"Actually, yes." Clarice said. Startled, Alison nearly tripped and she stared at her mother in shock. Clarice smiled. "I think I'm due for a holiday and Christmas is probably the best time." Alison nodded, a bit hesitantly. Seriously, what was wrong with her mother? Shaking her head, she gave the older woman a weak smiled and took off in the elevator.

Clarice watched her daughter go, body hunched. She drew in a shaky breath and checked her phone again.

 _Appointment set for two weeks. Don't strain yourself too much._

* * *

Alison watched the Knight Bus go and she was happy to say she wasn't sad to see it go. The Knight Bus was handy but the journey was a pain. You spent half the time worrying that you would die and the other half trying to ignore Stan. Luckily, the Leaky Cauldron wasn't far from her home and it was only a twenty-minute drive to the shabby bar. Upon entering, the young witch couldn't help but grin; it looked the same as it did every year, except a lot busier. That may be because of the large gathering of red-heads at the only large table in the joint.

The grin on her face got wider as she spotted the twins. They were standing, talking to Hermione who was holding what looked like a cat. They were poking at it and Hermione looked irritated, throwing glares at Ron every now and then. When were those two not fighting?

She had just dropped her bag onto her suitcase when one of the twins looked up and spotted her across the room. He grinned and started towards her; Alison couldn't tell which twin was which. They had both grown their hair out and it was just touching their eyes. She didn't care though; she was excited to see the both of them and besides, once one picked her up she could tell who was who.

She ran the rest of the way towards him and leaped into his arms, arms around his neck and legs around his waist. She knew it was George immediately because he didn't stumble. She had been doing this since the twins had had a growth spurt in the summer before third year and had been miles above her. She had gotten sick of trying to keep up with their long strides and George had started giving her piggybacks. Now, she would randomly jump onto his back or into a hug and he wouldn't even flinch. Fred, on the other hand, would fall over. Every. Damn. Time.

"I thought you weren't coming until later?" George whispered into her ear. She shivered, the heat from his mouth washing over her cool skin.

"I wasn't," She replied, hugging him tighter. "But I packed early and thought I would come early. I hope you don't mind." He scoffed, pulling back to grin in her face though he made no inclination that he would put her down.

"As if we wouldn't want to see you." Up close, Alison could tell he had changed over the summer too. Usually they spent the summer together and she hardly ever noticed the changes but they hadn't seen each other since June; Alison had been in Italy and the twins were spending some time with the family. When Arthur won the prize money they went to Egypt. His hair was longer, falling into his eyes. His face had become more defined, stronger cheekbones and chin. He still had that same spark of mischief in his eyes and the same cheeky grin. She doubted that would ever cease to exist; it just wouldn't be George then.

"I missed you loads." Her eyes travelled to his twin, who was making his way over. "You and Fred."

"If it isn't Miss Alison Spinner." Fred grinned. George placed her down and she wrapped her arms around his brother, who squeezed her tight. "I thought you weren't coming until later." Alison huffed.

"Don't you want to see me, Freddy?"

"Don't call me Freddy." He said darkly. Alison only grinned and George wrapped an arm around her waist. She sighed, content. She had really missed this lot over the summer.

"Alison!"

"Molly!" Alison laughed as the plump little woman came hurtling towards her. It had been a shock to Molly to learn that the girl who had befriend her sons was also the girl who had needed help getting onto the platform. Alison had found a place in her heart, not unlike the one Harry and Hermione did.

"How are you, dear? Good?" The older woman pulled back from their hug and cupped her face. Alison smiled sweetly, covering Molly's hands with her own. "Travelled alright? How was Italy?"

"It was really good," Alison said. "And I have presents for all of you."

"Presents? Oh dear but it's your birthday!"

"Mum!" Fred hissed, slinging an arm around Molly's shoulder. "If Alison wants to give us gifts, then we have no right to stop her." Alison rolled her eyes at Fred's comment but the smile didn't come off her place.

Molly ducked out from under Fred's arm, pinching his side. Fred yelped, covering his side quickly. George snickered at his twin.

"I see why they didn't make you two prefects!" Snapped Molly, looking a little put out. Alison bit her lip and glanced at George, who rolled his eyes.

"Why would we want to be prefects, mum? We wouldn't be able to cause trouble for them then!" Both Fred and George looked horrified at the thought. Alison raised an eyebrow at Molly's irritated expression as she stalked off.

"Let me guess," Said Alison. "Percy got Head Boy." The twins nodded. "Brilliant." She plopped down onto one of the chairs, brushing her hair back from her face. She wanted to put her hair up but George would just pull it out straight after anyway.

"What's brilliant?" Ginny said, coming to sit beside the blonde. She had grown too; not much but she was taller and her hair was a little longer. She was also tan; probably from the sun in Egypt.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite Weasley." Alison grinned, pulling the girl into a side hug.

"Oi!"

George glared at her form above. "I thought I was your favourite."

"Oh, don't worry, George," Arthur Weasley, their father, came over and placed his hands on the back of Alison's chair. She arched her neck so she could see him. "We all know I am her favourite." Alison laughed, kissing his cheek when he bent down to greet her. "Hello, Alison. How was your summer?"

"It was great. How was yours?"

"The best." He looked over to the twins and then back to her. "We're celebrating your birthday tonight. I don't know if the twins told you." Alison arched an eyebrow, turning to stare at the twins. Fred was whistling to himself, looking the picture of innocent and George was looking anywhere but at her.

Every year they did this. She didn't want a party or a gathering; she was happy to celebrate her birthday with the twins in her room, eating too many sugar quills and regretting it the next morning. She would get a few gifts and then go to bed, smiling at another beautiful birthday that she never got at home.

But the twins seemed to think that she needed a party, even if it was only just the Weasley family and friends.

"I thought I told you both that I _don't_ want a party." She said exasperated. George finally met her eyes and grinned cheekily at her.

"I don't think you did."

"Yes, I did."

"Nope."

"George!"

"Alison!"

"I told you! I did!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Alright, alright!" Arthur laughed. Fred met his eyes and they shared an amused glance. Those two were like a married couple. It was true that Fred viewed Alison as his sister but George viewed her as his best friend, besides Fred. Arthur also knew that his son fancied her, even if he didn't realize it.

"Look, it _is_ Alison's birthday," He said and the two boys groaned, knowing what their father was going to say. "And she doesn't want a party."

"Dad!" Fred whined. "You're meant to take our side!" Alison laughed.

"Your brothers are incredibly annoying; you know that?" Ginny giggled at the blonde's comment, nodding her head in agreement.

The day progressed and Alison greeted everyone else. She had a stiff conversation with Percy, cooed at Hermione's new cat and listened to Ron ramble about the Pyramids. She noticed that Ginny was still blushing and stumbling over her words every time Harry was near her. She also noticed that Ron and Hermione were fighting quite a bit; she asked Harry about it but he just brushed it off, saying it wasn't anything important. She would have pressed more if she hadn't seen the amused expression on his face when he watched them argue.

They had just finished dinner when the twins decided that it was time to drag Alison off to their room. She yelled a goodnight to everyone, who were all laughing as she was carried over Fred's shoulder while George had her bags.

Alison heard the sound of a door opening and found herself being thrown onto a double bed. She let out a squeak as she bounced, the bed groaning in protest. Fred sat down beside her while George put her luggage to the side.

"Merlin's beard, Ali, what have you got in here?" He grunted, shoving her trunk to the side.

"I have extra books." Alison explained. Her green eyes watched the muscle in his arms ripple at the movement and had to quickly refocus her thoughts. "Lucky I put the undetectable extension charm on it last year otherwise I would have never been able to fit all that in there."

George brushed his hair from his eyes, straightening up with a sigh. He looked over at Alison, who was shrugging off her Jacket. He went to say something about her books but was distracted by what she had on.

"Is that Fred's shirt?" He asked. When she nodded he felt some jealousy in his stomach but quickly squashed it down. They were all just friends; if she wanted to wear his brother's shirt, fine by him. Besides, he knew that she wore one of his shirts to bed every night. She had stolen it from him last year, one of the rare time she had bunked with them in the Gryffindor dorms. She had a fight with a few of her dorm mates and didn't want to be anywhere near them. Fred had suggested that she slept in their room and so it became a regular occurrence to see the blonde haired Hufflepuff in the Gryffindor common room. Even the Fat Lady had become used to her entering and exiting. Still, Alison wouldn't tell them how to get into the Hufflepuff common room. Everyone knew where the entrance was but not how to access it. Alison had yet to divulge that information.

"Hey! I've been looking for that shirt for ages!" Fred cried, pointing a finger at her. Alison blushed, crossing her legs.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly; the smile on her face told them she wasn't sorry at all.

Fred waved his hand, smiling.

"It's fine." He said, before grinning. "Now, I believe we have something to give you."

Alison's face lit up, her green eyes glittering madly. "Sugar quills!"

"How ever did you guess?" George asked mockingly, producing a large bag full of sugar quills from behind his back. Alison went to reach for them but he shook his head and held them up. He pointed to his cheek, not looking at her and she sighed. Kneeling up, she grabbed his shoulders and kissed his cheek. He grinned, handing her the bag. She fell back down onto the bed, an excited gleam in her eyes. She pulled out a purple one and stuck in her mouth, moaning at the delicious taste that assaulted her taste buds.

"These are amazing!" She said around it. The twins watched her in amusement; it was no secret to anyone that Alison loved sugar quills. She once ate about forty in one day and was bouncing off the walls.

"We also have another surprise for you." Fred grinned, before pausing. "Actually, two more. One from me and one from George." Alison gave them a look.

"You got me separate presents?" Strange; they usually got her a joint present. They got her a beautiful handmade sketchbook last year. The year before that was she received an enchanted flower crown that grew leaves, flowers or vines depending on the weather.

The point was that they never got her something from just one of them; each gift was from the two of them. Why were they giving her separate presents now?

"Why?"

"Why?" George scoffed, sitting down next to her. "Can't your two best friends in the world get you presents?"

"Sure," She shrugged. "You know, when they _aren't_ the biggest pranksters at Hogwarts."

Both twins rolled their eyes at her. George looked over Alison's head and nodded, to which Fred returned. He got up off the bed and walked towards the small closet a few feet away. He opened the door and reached in for something; what he pulled out made her heart stop.

In his hands he held a cage, containing a beautiful black owl. Its feathers were long and sleek, lined with a silver-grey that complemented the bird. Its eyes were yellow and wide, staring at her hesitantly.

"This is Manny." Fred explained. Alison sat frozen on the bed, her sugar quill forgotten. Her eyes were focused only on the bird, who was staring right back at her. The twins shared a satisfying grin. "He's from me; I got him yesterday for you. I know how much you wanted an owl but never seemed to be able to get one so I got one for you."

Alison was speechless; she had decided to get an owl a few years ago but it seemed like she never had time to get one or she forgot when she went shopping in Diagon Alley. The owl in front of her was spectacular; he was large and very regal looking. His eyes bore into hers, almost as if to study her and her intentions. He was magnificent.

"I…" She swallowed, finally taking her eyes off the bird to look at Fred. "I can't believe you got me an owl! He's beautiful!" As if he understood her, Manny fluffed himself, looking pleased. She smiled at him. "Can I touch him?"

"Of course." Fred placed the cage down onto the bed and opened the door. The owl didn't move from it's spot on it's perch but that didn't bother Alison. She grabbed a few owl treats that George had held out and held one out to Manny. He eyed it, still not moving.

"It's okay," She cooed. "You'll like this." She held the treat closer to his beak and for a second nothing happened. Then he reached forward and quickly took the treat off her. She grinned triumphantly, turning to look at the twins. Her hand was nudged and she turned back to see Manny poking his beak into her hand. She gladly fed him a few more treats and eventually was able to coax him out of the cage. He rested on her thigh as she pat him softly; he was incredibly soft, his feathers feeling as amazing as they looked.

As he munched on the last few treats Alison turned to Fred and threw him a grateful smile.

"Thank you so much, Fred." She said earnestly. "He's amazing. You're amazing." Fred pretended to blush and hide his face, making both George and Alison roll their eyes.

"I know, I'm amazing." Fred sighed. He sat down on a chair across from them and leaned back, folding his arms. "Thank you for reminding me."

"I'm still better looking!" George sang, winking at Alison. He ducked as a pillow came flying at his head.

"We look the same, you dolt!"

"Hey!" Alison laughed when George threw the pillow back to his brother. "Okay, okay! You're both good-looking; let's us agree on that, alright?" The twins looked at her and wiggled their eyebrows suggestively, making her blush.

"Why, Ali," They said in unison. "Do you have feelings for us?" Her blush deepened and she quickly deflected the topic.

"What did you get me?" She asked George. She ignored his questioning look, trying to calm her blushing cheeks. Thankfully, he just answered her question.

"I got you this." George laid back and reached to the besides table and opened the drawer. As he reached back his shirt rode up a little and Alison couldn't help but briefly admire the muscles in his stomach. Three years of being Beaters on the Quidditch team and both twins had developed some muscles. The were still skinny but they weren't so lanky anymore; muscle developed on their arms and chest, something Alison appreciated very much.

Alison was broken out of her stupor by George excited exclamation as he found what he was looking for. She quickly glanced away from his stomach, hoping to anyone that would listen that Fred hadn't seen her ogling his twin brother. Knowing her luck, he had.

"Right," George sighed, running a hand through his hair as he sat up. "Here it is." He produced a small red box, tied up with a ribbon. He held it out to her and she took it hesitantly with her free hand. He looked at her expectantly.

"Well, open it!" He insisted, gesturing to the box when she didn't move. Alison heard Fred snigger but complied with George's demand. She took a hand off Manny, who gave an irritated hoot and began untying the ribbon. When she was done she lifted the lid of the box and gasped when she saw what was inside.

A beautiful long chain was sitting in a satin cushion; what looked like a little tiny crystal ball hung on the end. She carefully picked it up, watching the swirling mist inside. As she placed the box down the ball gently tapped her palm as it swung and she felt tears come to her eyes at what appeared. A photo of the twins and her in first year popped up; it was Christmas and they were at Hogwarts, covered in snow. Hagrid had taken that photo; she had it in her album at home. She tapped the ball again and it changed to a picture of her and Fred from third year. They were in the library and she watched as a younger her slapped a younger Fred upside the head as he wrote crude comments in all of her books. She was smiling though and so was Fred.

She tapped the ball once again and it changed to picture of George and her. They were in the Gryffindor common room and she was wearing his shirt, that she still wore to bed. She was snuggling into him, reading a muggle book; well, trying to. She remembered that night vividly.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _The rain outside was loud and heavy; it battered against the windows of the Gryffindor Tower and once again Alison wondered how the Gryffindors slept with this noise. Hufflepuff's basement hardly ever heard any of the weather that would happen outside; only if it was really bad would you here the rain or wind form outside and even then, it would only be faint._

 _It was nearing Christmas too; decorations had been put up but it hadn't snowed yet. The blonde reckoned it would start a few days before they left Hogwarts. As of now, it was just rain and wind._

" _When do reckon the rain will stop?" George asked from above her. She was snuggled into his side on the armchair by the fire, legs draped over his and over the side of the chair. Her head rested against his shoulder as she read a Jane Austin novel. It was taking all of her will to not fall asleep as George ran his fingers through her hair. Fred was sitting across from them on the lounge, trying to finish his potions homework. It didn't look good._

" _Give it a few days and it will be replaced by snow." Alison answered, eyes on the page. She felt George's head shift so it was resting on her own._

" _What are you reading?"_

 _She turned the cover so he could see. "Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin." He nodded softly and she continued reading in silence for a few moments. It was late; everyone else was in bed. The common room was empty and quiet, save for the scratching of Fred's quill against the parchment and the crackling of the fire. Alison loved the Huffelpuff common room but Gryffindor's was definitely the best during cold nights, despite the noise from outside. The red and gold emitted warmth and you always felt so sleepy and content. It was a nice feeling._

" _Who uses that word anymore?" George's finger came down onto her page, effectively blocking the next sentence she was about to read. She pushed his hand away and kept reading. "Or this one? Seriously!" His hand came back down again and she huffed, flicking his finger away. This time he didn't even wait before descending again. "What is that meant to say?"_

" _George, do it again and I will bite your finger off." She warned. His chest rumbled against her as he gave a chuckle._

" _Kinky."_

" _George!" She whined, lifting her head to look into his amused eyes. "Come on! I'm serious; I just want to read!" He sniggered at her annoyed expression, poking her forehead with his finger._

" _Reading is boring and besides," he poked her book again and she snapped it shut onto his finger, making him wince a little. "No one uses those words anymore." She scoffed, hugging the book to her._

" _Of course no one uses those words. It was published in 1813."_

 _George was distracted from answering as they both heard a click of the camera. They turned and Alison narrowed her eyes at Fred, who was grinning cheekily while holding Lee's camera in his hands._

" _Sorry." He shrugged, grinning. "You two just looked so adorable that I had to capture the moment." Alison blushed but otherwise ignored him. She returned to reading her book, not listening as Fred and George mumbled to themselves._

" _Right." Fred clapped his hands together a few minutes later, causing Alison to jump. He smiled sheepishly at her. "Sorry. I'm off to bed. You coming, George?" He opened his mouth to answer but Alison beat him to it._

" _No, he will not. I want to finish this chapter so he will stay still until I do."_

" _Ali!" He groaned. "I'm tired!"_

 _She shrugged. "Too bad. Night Fred."_

 _Fred laughed, bidding her goodnight. As he walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitories George looked down at her with a mock glare._

" _You are evil, Spinner. Absolute evil."_

" _I wasn't until I started hanging around you." She sighed wistfully. "Ah, those were the days." George rolled his eyes at his friend and leant his head back. His eyes focused in on an object hanging above their head and he cursed when he realized what it was._

" _Bloody Fred!" He hissed, closing his eyes. Alison shifted against him and peeked up at him. He pointed above them and her eyes widened at the mistletoe hanging there._

 _The thing about magical mistletoe is that you have to kiss whoever gets stuck under there with you. There is no charm or spell to release you; you have to kiss the boy or girl next you. It made for some pretty embarrassing and at the same time hilarious situations. Alison had been fortunate enough to not be caught under them._

 _Until now, anyway._

" _I'm gonna kill Fred." George grumbled. Alison closed her book, smiling softly._

" _What makes you think it was Fred?"_

" _He was smirking as he walked away just a minute ago. I couldn't figure out why."_

" _Oh." Alison shifted again so she was sitting up in his lap. Her book was placed in her lap as she bit her lip as she stared at George. "So do we have to –?"_

" _Kiss?" He finished. He ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah." He sounded nervous, though Alison couldn't understand why. She had a sudden horrible thought that maybe he didn't want to kiss her and disappointment welled up within her; which was ridiculous because she didn't like him like that so why would she be disappointed if he didn't want to kiss her?_

" _Do you not want to kiss me?" She teased but they both could hear the slight undertone of worry in her voice. George's eyes widened and he frantically shook his head, wrapping his arm around her waist as he straightened up in the chair._

" _Merlin no! It's not that!" He said. He gazed into her bright green eyes, enthralled by the depth he saw within them. "I do! I mean, not that I like you, like that – I do like you! Just not like that! Only as a friend and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable! I do want to kiss you – just not all the time like -" A finger over his mouth stopped him from talking. His cheeks tinged pink as Alison giggled._

" _You're babbling." She said quietly. Her finger was pressed against his lips and she had a fleeting thought about how soft they felt. Of course it was pushed away in an instant and she quickly removed her hand, only for it to be caught in George's. Her breathing hitched as she stared into his eyes. He moved their linked hands down onto her laps, his thumb drawing soothing strokes onto her hand. Her skin went cold in a delicious way. She couldn't stop staring at her best friend._

" _I suppose we should…" He paused, not speaking the rest. His eyes flicked down to her lips, which were slightly parted and swallowed. Letting go of her hand he brought his up to wrap around the back of her neck; shivers sprung down her spine at his touch and his lips quirked._

 _Alison didn't know what was happening. She was suddenly noticing all these new things about George that she hadn't ever noticed and she felt butterflies at every touch and every breath. It was all of sudden and she didn't know what to do. Luckily, it seemed George did._

 _Because his lips touched hers in a gentle kiss._

 _ **Flashback**_

A fuzzy feeling settled in her stomach as she watched the figures in the crystal ball. That night had changed everything for her; that was the night that she had a suspicion that she was crushing on her red-headed best friend. It took her months to figure out if she liked him because of the kiss or if she liked him because of who he was. When she realized that it wasn't because of the kiss she had freaked out; Jane had to sneak her a calming drought.

"Do you like it?"

Alison looked up from the necklace to meet George's eyes. There was some unidentified emotion in them as he watched her, biting his lip. From the soft pink tinge on his cheeks she could only guess that he was thinking about that night as well.

"Yes." She said finally. "I love it; it's spectacular, Georgie." She rarely ever called him Georgie because it irritated him but in moments like this, when she was terrified or extremely happy, she would call him it and he didn't seem to mind.

"I got it in Egypt." He explained, ears red. "I saw it and thought you might like it."

"Like it? George, it's gorgeous! I love it!" She tapped the ball again and watched as the first image appeared once again. "I can't believe you got me something like this. Come here."

She waved him forward, careful not to disturb Manny and kissed his cheek softly. He grinned, kissing the side of her head and pulled back to lean back on his hands. He watched as Alison hung the long chain around her neck and started patting Manny again, the owl hotting at the contact. From the corner of his eye he caught sight of his brother smirking at him; Fred mimed a shooting an arrow and getting shot in the heart. Rolling his eyes and ignoring the blush on his cheeks, he went back to staring at Alison.

Later that night, way after they were supposed to go to sleep, Alison lie in the single bed Molly had conjured for her and stared at the ceiling. Her hand fiddled with the necklace George had given her, watching the photos switch between the three. She sighed, watching the one of her and George by the fire. She noticed the mistletoe sudden grow above their heads and shook her head at their oblivious nature; honestly, how had they not noticed Fred casting that charm?

Her stomach got butterflies as she thought about that night again and a warm blush crept up her body, making her feel tingly. A hand went to her lips as she thought about the kiss.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Alison felt her heart thump in her ribcage as George kissed her, and she kissing him back. The hand around her waist balled into a fist and pulled her closer but she didn't complain. Her arms came up to wrap around his shoulders and she sunk into him, sighing._

 _She had been kissed before. Her first kiss was in her third year; a boy called Daniel McGelley from Ravenclaw had kissed her outside of Honeydukes. It wasn't terrible; as good as a first kiss between two thirteen-year-old could be. Her second kiss was with Cedric, surprisingly enough. It was a few weeks into the term and some of the Hufflepuffs decided to play 'Truth or Dare' in the common room. It was third years through to sixths year; the seventh years were too busy freaking out over N.E.W.T.s._

 _One of Cedric's buddies (who she thought weren't particularly pleasant) dared Cedric to kiss her. She wasn't even playing at the time so she had been surprised when Cedric had walked over to her and asked to kiss her. Alison had shrugged, they had shared a kiss and Cedric then dared that same boy to go streaking through Hogwarts halls. He ended up with two months' detention and a letter sent home to his parents._

 _Both kisses weren't horrible and she wasn't very experienced in snogging but somehow she knew that kissing George was way better than most. It wasn't perfect, merlin no, but it felt okay and right. It made her lips tingle and her body feel warm and her tummy flip around and her heart go crazy. One hand pressed against her back and the other in her hair and she couldn't help but think that they shouldn't still be lip-locked. She also thought that she didn't care. One of her hands subconsciously went into his hair and grasped at it softly._

 _She didn't know how long they sat there for until George pulled away. She had to bite her tongue to stop the whimper from escaping her as his lips left hers. He pressed his forehead to hers, breathing heavily through his mouth. She swallowed, chest rising up and then down and opened her eyes. His eyes were open, staring at her like he had never seen her before. His fingers traced a circle on her back and she shivered; his fingers stilled instantly._

" _Thank merlin Fred wasn't still down here, huh?" He said, cracking a smile. She gave a shaky laugh, closing her eyes and leaning her head down onto his shoulder. His hand that was in her hair dropped down to wrap around her, hugging her close. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head and she snuggled in deeper to him, wishing suddenly that she didn't have to move._

" _Thank merlin." She whispered, fisting his jumper in her hands._

 _The next day, neither one of them mention their kiss and they haven't mentioned it since._

 _ **Flashback**_

Alison wondered why he had chosen that photo to be put in the crystal ball; surely there were plenty of others. She looked over to his sleeping form, thinking.

 _Is there something that I'm missing?_ Alison thought. _Is he trying to tell me something?_ George was lying on his back, hand thrown over his eyes as he slept. Alison let her eyes wonder over him briefly before blinking and shaking her head. She dropped her necklace and turned over, blocking George from view.

 _That's ridiculous. He doesn't like me like that and this 'crush' on him will pass by Christmas; I'm sure of it._

Still, she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as the image of them kissing filled her thoughts as she fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, her fifteenth birthday, she was awoken by someone gently shaking her shoulder. She groaned, turning away from them. The person chuckled.

"Ali, wake up."

She ignored them, burying her face into her pillow. It was too early to be awake; any time before one in the afternoon was too early to be awake. Oh why didn't the night last 'till then?

"Ali, come on it's your birthday!"

"Don't care." She said, eyes still closed. "Sleep. Too early. Need sleep."

Fred shook his head, a small smile on his face. He tugged lightly on the blonde hair, trying in vain to wake her up. "Alison, come on! The train leaves soon! You don't want to miss the train to Hogwarts, do you?" At this he got a reaction; Alison shifted slightly, turning her head so she could look at her friend. She blinked, trying to wake up.

"No." She grumbled. A piece of hair fell in her face and she blew it away. Fred grinned and stood up. She eyed him wearily; he was fully dressed and sneaking a glance towards the bed, she noticed George was out of bed as well.

"Where's George?" She asked in between a yawn. She sat up, stretching her back.

"What, am I not enough for you?" Fred pouted. He crossed his arms. "I _am_ the better looking twin."

Alison scoffed. "In your dreams, Freddie."

"That's where you are!" He replied, smiling cheekily. She rolled her eyes and hopped out of bed, shivering as her bare feet touched the cold floor. She yawned again, stumbling to her backpack and rifling through it to find her shirt and jeans. When she did she turned to Fred.

"Shoo!" She demanded, waving him off. "I have to get changed!" He rolled his eyes but complied and for that Alison was thankful; she was certain he was going to make a crude joke.

It didn't take her long to get dressed and once she double checked that she had everything she coaxed Manny into his cage and somehow managed to get all of her stuff down the narrow steps and into the bar. She huffed as she got to the bottom and gathered all her hair to tie into a messy bun. As she did so she caught sight of a poster hanging on the wall; a wanted poster to be exact.

 _HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WIZARD?  
APPROACH WITH EXTREME CAUTION! DO NOT  
ATTEMPT TO USE MAGIC AGAINST THIS MAN!_

Underneath the writing was a picture, similar to a muggle mug-shot of a man with black shaggy hair that reached his shoulders. He was staring at the camera with dark eyes and then suddenly he turned screaming. What intrigued Alison was the fact that it didn't look like he was angry; he just looked in pain. The man looked insane, that was true but he looked like devastated; like he had just lost everything. The blonde stared at him, wondering suddenly who he was and why exactly he was a wanted man.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder, making her jump. She swivelled around to meet the eyes of Arthur Weasley, who was staring at the poster with a grim expression.

"Sirius Black." He said, nodding to the man in the poster. "He was a death eater; a really devoted one at that. He's insane but somehow he managed to escape Azkaban."

"The wizard prison?"

He nodded. "Yes. No one has ever escaped Azkaban before so he's managed to get everyone on edge." He suddenly turned her around, eyes boring into hers. She was startled by the intensity of his gaze and gnawed on her bottom lip. "Promise me that you'll look after Harry for me, Alison." Alison's brow furrowed, wondering why he was asking her that. Then all of a sudden, it clicked.

Sirius Black was a Death Eater, which made Harry Potter his number one enemy. Which meant…

"Sirius Black is after Harry, isn't he?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer. When Arthur nodded her heart clenched.

Harry was like a little brother to her; they weren't close but she made an effort to talk to him occasionally and make sure he was okay. It seemed to her that both Ron and Hermione didn't take the time to ask him how he really was; not that they weren't great friends but they both got caught up in petty fights and their own life that they forget that Harry struggles everyday knowing that a lot of people hate him and want him dead. It made her sad that yet another year was being wasted on someone trying to murder him.

"Yes, he is." He said grimly. He looked around nervously. "I'm not supposed to be telling you this; Molly would have a fit if she found out but I think you're the only one who can deal with this responsibly. I've told Harry but you know what he is like. Can you promise you'll just keep an eye on him while you're at school?"

Alison nodded. "Of course, Arthur." She hesitated before adding, "He won't like being watched all the time." Arthur sighed, rubbing his face.

"I know, but what else can we do? He needs to be protected."

"Alison! Dad! Come on, we're leaving!"

Arthur gave her one last tight smile before walking off. Alison let out breath and turned around, watching him walk away. Her eyes travelled back to the poster. Sirius Black was screaming again.

"Alison! Come _on!_ "

"I'm coming!" She called back, turning away from the poster to grab her things. Now wasn't the time to worry about a prisoner on the loose.

She dragged her stuff outside and over to the two green cars that were parked on the road. An arm came around her shoulder as she stood up and she looked up to see George's grinning face.

"Come on then, love," He said, dragging her over to the other car. "You're sitting with us!" Fred was waiting for them at the door, holding the door open and trying very hard to look serious and professional. She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing but it didn't stop the grin from appearing on her face.

"After you, Madam." Fred bowed deeply, looking completely ridiculous. Nonetheless, she did a clumsy curtsy and stepped inside. George came next, then Fred and finally Ginny. Molly went to the front, beside a quiet Ministry worker in a green uniform. It wasn't five minutes later when they were off to King's Cross, weaving in and out of traffic. Alison would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't for George trying to pull her hair out of the bun.

They finally reached the station and the Ministry official got some trolleys for them. They bid them goodbye and they made their way into the station; Alison noticed that Arthur kept close to Harry, looking around nervously as if Sirius Black was going pop out in front of them. If he was smart enough to escape Azkaban, then he was smart enough to know that trying to attack Harry in public would be an idiotic move.

"Right then, let's do this in pairs." Arthur said once they reached the barrier. "I'll go first with Harry." They casually leaned against the barrier and fell through, disappearing onto platform 9 ¾. Alison felt a tug on her arm and glanced down to see Ginny staring up at her.

"Can you go through with me?" Ginny asked timidly. Alison smiled and nodded.

"Come on then." They ran at the barrier, ignoring the ridiculous looks that they got from some muggles. Alison felt the flinch that went through her body right before they met the wall; it still scared her that she could possibly crash into it, no matter how many times she went through it.

As they came out the other side the blonde saw Harry and Arthur standing there. Harry smiled weakly at her and she felt Ginny stumbled slightly at the sight of him. Percy came through next and he immediately started blushing and puffing out his chest at the sight of his girlfriend. Alison rolled her eyes as Harry and Ginny hid their chuckles.

"Alison!" Alison lifted her head and saw Cedric making his way through the crowd. She grinned, stepping away form her trolley and hugging Cedric once he got closer. He pulled back and produced a bag of sugar quills, along with some other sugary treats.

"Happy birthday!" He sang. She blushed and accepted the bag.

"I think I'll have enough of these to last until my next birthday." She joked. He chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Thank you, Cedric."

He waved her off. "It's your birthday, you're getting presents." His eyes caught onto the necklace that hung around her neck. "Though, I suppose it's nothing compared to what I'm assuming the twins got you."

"George got me this." She explained, lifting the ball up to tap on it gently. She watched, amused, as Cedric's eyes widened as the pictures popped up. "It has some pictures of us over the years."

"Wow," Cedric breathed. "He went all out this year, huh?" Alison shrugged, dropping the necklace.

"Fred got me an owl and they both got me sugar quills, so I suppose they did."

"You have an addiction, m'lady." Cedric shook his head, a smile on his face. "I have to go; my dad's waiting for me. I'll see you later?" He hugged her again and strode off. Alison watched him go.

"Alison, come on!" She heard Fred call. She quickly walked back to the group and said her goodbyes to Molly and Arthur. She bordered the train and waved goodbye as it started moving. Once they were out of sight she stood back and brushed a few stray hairs from her face.

"Let's find a compartment." She said, walking off. Most of them were full and Alison's stomach gave a lurch at the prospect of sitting with strangers for the whole ride.

"Hey, there's Angelina!" Fred called from behind her. "And Lee!"

"Fred!"

She shared an amused glance with George, who shook his head at his twin. It wasn't a secret that Fred had a thing for Angelina and the black-haired girl had a thing for him as well. Neither one has admitted it though, so it was a painful waiting game for their friends. Alison was positive that they would get together before they finished school though.

"Lee, my boy!" George said joyfully, pulling the boy into a hug. Alison placed Manny's cage on floor beside her as she sat down, greeting Angelina and Alicia, who greeted her back politely. Alison was friends with a lot of Gryffindors but she really over ever came out of her shell around the twins. Even with Cedric and Jane she was still quiet. The Gryffindors had grown used to the quiet Hufflepuff though, enjoying the contrast of her quiet demeanour and the twins' loud one.

"How was your summer, Alison?" Alicia asked the girl.

"I went to Italy with my mum and some of her work friends." Alison said, barely meeting their gaze.

Angelina gasped. "Oh how lucky! How was it?" Alison grinned, folding one leg up onto the seat.

"It was beautiful. The cities were so old and had so much character." She gushed. "The people were amazing too; there was this old man near our hotel who owned a café and every time I went in there he would ask me to teach him some English. His granddaughter was intrigued by my accent, so I spoke to her quite a bit."

"Aw!" Alicia cooed. "I can't believe you got to go to Italy!"

"And from what I see you got spoiled when you came back." Angelina smirked, nodding to Manny and Alison's necklace. Her hand came up to clutch the necklace, blushing.

"Yeah." Alison admitted. "Fred got me the owl and George got me the necklace."

"George got you that?" Angelina asked in disbelief. Alison grinned and nodded. "Merlin; I didn't know he had the brain capacity to think about someone other than himself."

"Hey!" Cried George, stopping his conversation with Fred and Lee. "I heard that!"

"You were meant to."

"And besides, Angelina, this _is_ Alison we are talking about." Lee said, smirking as he leant forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "If there was anyone the twins would think about, it's her; especially George." Fred, Alicia, Lee and Angelina snickered as a blush came upon George's face.

"What's that meant to mean?"

"It mean that you li – OW!" Lee yelped as George tackled him to the ground. Everyone in the compartment laughed at the wrestling duo; Fred was egging Lee on and Alison laughed even harder.

Eventually they stopped; Lee went back to his old seat while George stayed on the floor, leaning his back against Alison's leg. Her hand immediately went out to touch the bottom of his hair, twirling it around her fingers. A shiver went down his spine and she bit her lip to stop from grinning.

The next few hours were similar to the first few minutes. Occasionally the boys would start to wrestle and at one point, Lee knocked Angelina who dived onto him. She put up a good fight and Lee quickly surrendered. Alison had let Manny out of his cage, letting the girls coo over him. He enjoyed it, fluffing up his feathers and accepting treats. He was a little attention seeker, Alison noticed. He also had quite a beautiful personality, so she didn't mind too much.

It was a few hours before the train was due to pull up in Hogsmeade and Alison decided she would go get changed. She stood up, passing Manny to Fred who place him back in his cage, though he left the latch open.

"Right, I'm going to get changed." She paused. "And try and find Jane. I won't be long." Everyone bid her goodbye and she stepped out, walking along the corridor. She glanced in every compartment on her way to the bathroom but couldn't find Jane. When she reached the bathroom she got changed quickly into her robes, tucking her wand into robe pocket. It was on her way back that the train gave a lurch that made her stumble into the wall. She looked out the window, surprised to see it was raining, quite heavily. Shaking her head, she moved quickly through the corridor of the carriage of the slowing train. She narrowly missed the heads of people as they poked out of their compartment doors to see what was going on and then in an instant, everything went black. The lights had gone out.

"Crap." Mutter Alison. It was completely dark outside, so no light from the moon was going to help her. She kept walking, trying to get onto the next carriage that held her friends but accidently bumped into someone.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"Neville?"

"Oh, Alison! Is that you? What – do you know what's happening?"

Alison shook her head, though she knew he couldn't see her. She could barely make out his figure in front of her. "I don't know."

"Oh, okay then."

He shuffled off and she continued on, walking into the next carriage. Just before she closed the door she thought she saw something but brushed it off. Probably a student.

She took another step and hissed as she kicked her toe on something. _Probably some student's case that fell out of the racks,_ she thought. Muttering angrily, she pulled her wand out and said, "Lumos!" A little white light filled the carriage; it wasn't very bright but it was enough for her to navigate her way to her compartment. She started walking again but then she looked up…

And nearly screamed.

Standing – or rather, floating – at the end of the carriage was this person. No, not a person – a thing. It was wearing a tattered cloak that floated around it softly; two gaunt bony hands were visible but the face was completely obscured by the hood. It floated closer, only focused on her apparently. Alison knew she should have moved but something was stopping her. The closer it got, the colder she felt – and not as in temperature. She felt despair and loneliness. She felt how sad she was that her mother didn't care about her and how depressed she felt about having no father. How she felt worthless because her father didn't want her. She tried to ignore it but it was so strong; like tidal waves crashing over a kiddy pool.

Her hands shook, the light form her wand fading out but she could see the figure perfectly clear. It got closer and her mind kept screaming for her to run but she couldn't. She was frozen, heart pounding until it was the only thing she could hear. The creature came closer and closer until it was right in front of her. She heard some noise from the carriage behind her but didn't dare turn her back on this… this _thing._ Up close, it was revolting. She still couldn't see it's face but it's hands were pale and sweaty looking, skin pulled over bone.

It looked dead.

It was only too late that she realized that the hand she was staring at was creeping closer to her. It was only too late before she realized that it was heading for her arm.

And as it touched her arm, barely brushing her skin with its long bony finger, she let out a blood-curling scream.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Sorry it has taken so long to update! I have been so busy, you have no idea. I have so much to do and not enough time to do it.  
Anyway, here is chapter three!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any character, location, name, plotpoint, etc. that J. has written. I claim no right over the 'Harry Potter' franchise and only own any characters that are not in the books.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: 13 Pages**

Horrible images invaded her mind.

Images of her father, what she imagined he looked like, shouting at her, telling her she was disgusting and useless and that he never wanted her. Images of her mother, scowling at her, sneering at her in disgust. Images of Fred and George, laughing _at_ her, leaving her behind. Images of them all dead.

Images of her alone, by herself; no one that loved her or cared for her. No one cared… she was worthless. No one cared…

"Expecto Patronum!"

Alison felt the creature suddenly be pushed away and really, she should've noticed the bright light that lit up the carriage but she didn't. Instead, she fell against the wall, shaking. She barely noticed that the lights were back on or that the train had started moving again. She curled up against the wall, the horrid images replaying over in her mind.

Another hand touched her arm softly and she whimpered, pulling it away.

"Hey, it's fine. I'm not going to hurt you." The man, by the sound of their voice, touched her arm again and she felt the warmth that only another human could give. She relaxed slightly, though not by much and opened her eyes that she didn't even noticed had been shut.

A shabby looking man was kneeling in front of her, his green eyes studying her with worry. He looked like he was in his late thirties, though his brown hair was flecked with grey. He wore patched up robes and his face was covered with scars. He looked tired; not in the literal sense but just… tired.

Alison opened her mouth, trying to say something but found that she couldn't speak. She was shaking and her eyes darted around her, waiting for the creature to come back. Luckily, the man seemed to know exactly what she was intending to ask.

"That was a dementor." He explained. "Horrible thing; they're the guards of Azkaban. They feed on fear. It's gone now."

"It touched me." She choked out, wrapping a hand around the place where the thing – the dementor – touched her. It made a new wave of shiver go up her spine as she remembered the cold that had crept over her body. It felt worse than being submerged in ice.

The man's eyes widened and he muttered something under his breath. He stood up, pocketing his wand and holding his hands out to her.

"Come on, I need to speak to the driver and you need to be watched for a while." She hesitantly reached up to grasp his hands and he pulled her up slowly, bending down to pick her wand up. Alison blinked as dots appeared in front of her vision and she toppled forward, only just being caught by the shabby wizard. She went to apologize but she just felt weak; tired and sore and _weak._

"What's your name?" He asked, obviously trying to distract her. She blinked again.

"Alison…" She breathed, trying to stay upright. Everything felt hazy and she was still very weak.

"Alison!"

Looking up she saw a flash of red before hands were cupping her face; she didn't flinch away like she did with the man. She instead leaned gratefully into them.

"Georgie…"

"What the hell happened?" He demanded, eyes wide with worry. "Fred and I were searching for you down there and then I heard a scream. That was you, wasn't it?" The man's arms slipped away as George pulled her to his chest, his arms enveloping her so tightly that she could barely breath but she didn't mind. She burrowed into his chest, feeling a little better.

"She was attacked by a dementor." The man said. "I need her to come up to the front with me. She needs to be watched. Can you help me take her?" Alison closed her eyes and felt George nod, albeit hesitant. A sudden wave of cold passed over them, most likely from an open window but she couldn't help but whimper in fear. George's hand came up to cup the back of her head, stroking her hair.

"Shh, Ali, it's fine. It's alright, I'm here." Images of him and Fred dead were brought suddenly to the front of her mind and she shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"I saw… and you… it was horrible!" Alison cried. She started shaking even more. "Georgie it was horrible!" She felt George lean down to scoop her legs up so she was in his arms, bridal style. She didn't really pay attention to anything, all the horrors she had seen stuck in her mind. She focused on his heartbeat against her ear, barely registering Fred's worried voice, along with Angelina's, Alicia's and Lee's.

"Alison! What happened?"

"She was attacked by an Azkaban guard, Fred."

"Will she be okay?"

"She looks terrible!"

It was sometime between that comment and the door opening to the next carriage that Alison drifted off to sleep with the rhythm of George's heartbeat echoing in her ear.

Alison did not sleep peacefully; she was continuously replaying the moment the dementor touched her over and over. Every time she felt panic wash over her, then fear and then hysteria. She wasn't sure how long it was before she woke up in the Hospital Wing.

She blinked, bleary eyed as her vision was invaded by a bright light. Her stomach suddenly leaped and she could almost feel herself go green as she sat up rather quickly. She leaned over the side and puked.

The noise alerted Madam Pomfrey, who came bustling out of her office.

"Oh! You're awake!" She ran over just as Alison finished puking and wave her wand. It went away in a flash, the horrid smell leaving with it as Alison sat up slowly. Her chest was heaving and her hands shook slightly.

"You gave everyone a fright; you reacted worse than Mr Potter!"

"Harry?" Alison finally spoke, though her voice was weak. She struggled to sit up properly as she gazed at Madam Pomfrey, who was mixing some tonic. "What happened to Harry? Is he okay?"

"Oh he's fine." Madam Pomfrey replied. "Just fainted when the dementor came in. He's absolutely fine and thank merlin than Professor Lupin was there. Finally, we have a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows what they're doing." She finished mixing the tonic and handed it to Alison, who looked at it in disgust. Madam Pomfrey chuckled at the blonde. "It will make you feel better, Miss Spinner. Drink up and you will be out of here to catch some breakfast."

Alison grimaced as she swallowed the tonic. It was awful but she knew that it would stop the churning in her stomach and help clear up her head. Another glass was shoved into her hands and she recognized the colour of the Pepper Up potion. She took a swig of it; it will help the tiredness go away for today and merlin knows that she is tired.

"Professor Lupin was going to give you some chocolate until he realized you were touched by one of those things." Madam Pomfrey spat, taking the glasses of Alison. "He watched you on the train, along with one of the Weasley twins."

"George." Alison muttered. The matron nodded.

"Yes; had to bring in the Headmaster to get him to leave. He was very concerned for you, dear." She shot a sneaky smile to the young girl who blushed and looked down, suddenly interested in her hands. As the matron walked off there was a knock at the Hospital Wing doors and the blonde looked up, smiling when she spotted Jane at the entrance.

Jane had changed since first year; she had lost the glasses and opted for contacts. Her hair was longer, now just touching her shoulder blades. She had lost her baby fat and slimmed down but she was still had some weight. It did nothing to hinder her personality; in fact, it probably amplified it. She was very outgoing and a little snarky but you couldn't help but like her. Alison and her had shared a dorm for the four years at Hogwarts and Alison was grateful that she had someone who she could get along with. The other girls in the dormitory didn't really talk to her much but it didn't bother her.

"Hey." Jane said, walking into the wing. She held some clothes in her arm that Alison recognized as her uniform and had another bag that Alison recognized as her own. "Heard you got attacked by a dementor."

"Yeah, something like that." Alison whispered, her throat still kind of sore. Jane sat down on the edge of her bed and placed her clothes down.

"Horrible things, aren't they?" Jane scrunched up her nose. "My mum had to go there for the Ministry once and she wasn't the same for the next three weeks. Of course, she was surrounded by hundreds of dementors for a whole day but it still sucks." Jane's parents were both wizards, her mum a pure-blood and her dad a muggle-born.

"Over a hundred dementors?" Alison suddenly felt pity for the prisoners. She shouldn't, because they were bad people but she remembered how she felt when the one on the train was close. She felt fine now but to feel that all the time… it must be torture.

Jane nodded. "Anyway, I brought your uniform. Figured that since you're an introvert and your boyfriend couldn't get it that I would bring them up for you."

It took Alison a second to realize what Jane meant.

"Jane! George is not my boyfriend!" She groaned, rubbing her face tiredly. Jane smirked.

"Could've fooled me," She replied. "And the rest of the school. Did you know Professor Flitwick once asked me last year if you two were together? A teacher!" Alison gaped.

"No!"

Jane laughed. "Yep! Of course I wanted to say yes but I figured that you would murder me. He seemed so disappointed when I told him that you weren't a couple." Alison's face went a tomato red and she collapsed back into the pillows, covering her face. Jane continued laughing at her friend's embarrassment, even as Madam Pomfrey came bustling back in.

"What are you cackling about, Miss Fang?"

"Oh, just Alison's love life."

"Janet!"

Jane snickered at Alison, not even caring that she called her by her full name. She was enjoying watching her quiet friend squirm.

"Are we talking about Mr Weasley here?" Madam Pomfrey asked. It was silent before Jane burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. Alison felt like her face was going to burst into flames any second now.

"Madam Pomfrey," She said slowly. "George is _not_ my boyfriend. Why does everyone assume that?" Madam Pomfrey frowned.

"Well, that's slightly disappointing." She muttered and that sent Jane into a new round of cackles.

"Oh my _merlin!"_

"Shut up, Jane!" Alison growled. She was mortified that they were discussing her love life in front of a Hogwarts staff member. She was glad that George wasn't here to see. Or Fred. She didn't know which one was worse.

"Oh, come off it, Alison." Jane said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like you like him or anything." Silence met her words and she snapped her head up to look at Alison. Her friend was avoiding her eyes and she knew. "You _like_ George Weasley?"

"Please, say it louder. I don't think the world heard you." Alison said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry I just… When? How? Seriously, woman? George?"

Alison glared at her, eyes flickering over to Madam Pomfrey who was checking her over with her wand. "Can we not talk about this here? Or at all?"

Janet waved away her concerns. "Poppy has seen and heard worse thing than your crush on George, Alison." Her lips twitched and she sighed. "You have a _crush_ on George Weasley. One half of the pranking prats of Gryffindor."

"I was well aware."

Jane grinned but couldn't say anymore as Madam Pomfrey stepped back. She looked stern but her eyes danced in amusement.

"I say you're free to go, Miss Spinner." She said. Alison sighed, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "If you feel ill or lightheaded, come back. Hopefully the potions won't wear off until dinner time but if they do, come back so you can have some more."

"I know, Madam Pomfrey." Alison smiled. "I promise I will." The matron nodded and summoned a curtain for Alison to get dressed behind, which she did so quickly. Waving her wand, that was placed on the nightstand, she fixed her hair so it wasn't so disgusting and tied it up into a loose ponytail.

"Come on." Jane said, shrugging her bag over her shoulders. "We need to get our schedules and breakfast ends soon."

It didn't take long to get to the Great Hall. Alison felt much better by the time they reached the large doors; the potions had taken effect thankfully. She hated feeling like that.

As they entered the Great Hall Alison noticed that a lot of people started staring at her. She blushed heavily and looked down as the two girls made their way to the Hufflepuff table. Jane glared at a few third years that were staring openly at Alison; they immediately looked away.

"Have I ever mentioned I hate people?" Jane sighed, sitting down. Alison chuckled, sitting next to her.

"Once or twice."

"I mean seriously; you were attacked by a dementor but do they have to stare?" Alison shrugged, piling some toast onto her plate and buttering it.

"I wouldn't say I was attacked, exactly," Alison said. "It just touched me."

Jane froze.

"It _touched_ you?" Jane gasped, looking at her. Alison nodded, brow furrowed as she popped a grape into her mouth. It was the only thing she thought she could stomach at the moment.

"Yeah, it was horrible. Like having ice cold water poured over you a thousand times. And not to mention all the fears that popped up." She shivered.

Jane dropped her utensils on her plate, swiveling around so she could face the blonde. Her face was so utterly serious and scared at the same time. It didn't suit her at all.

"Alison, you know what that meant, right?" Jane asked, to which the blonde shook her head. She exhaled heavily. "Dementors only touch someone when they about to perform the 'kiss' on them. They make whoever it is suffer with nightmares so bad that you are permanently brain damaged if it continues for too long. After that, they suck your soul out. You're lucky you are even able to function so soon after that."

Alison was frozen, eyes wide. Merlin; she didn't know it was that serious! That was why that man, Professor Lupin, was so panicked. He knew what that meant. Her hand absentmindedly reached up to touch her arm, goose bumps appearing on her skin.

"I didn't know…"

Jane smiled gently, reaching out to pat her softly on the arm. "Thank God Professor Lupin got to you in time. Who knows what might have happened to you if he didn't?"

"Yeah." Alison tuned to look at the staff table, her eyes scanning until she found Professor Lupin. He was talking to Professor Flitwik about something and didn't seem to notice her staring at him. He looked better than he did yesterday, though last night was a bit hazy to her. She'd have to thank him later; perhaps when she had his class.

Alison didn't manage to catch the twins or Harry before classes started but she did bump in to Cedric on her way to Potions. He asked her if she was okay and proceeded to tell her that she was the biggest talk of the school at the moment. She silently groaned; fabulous.

Potions went by quickly but Professor Snape didn't let her slack off because of what happened. If anything, he pushed her harder. He rambled on about how O. were this year and that he expected no less than an 'E' on their exams. He picked on her a lot but she answered each question correctly.

"I will never understand why Snape is so nice to you." Cedric had said as they left class. Alison laughed, shaking her head.

"That seemed nice to you? It was grueling!"

"Yeah but he likes you! He doesn't even like the Slytherins! His own house!" Cedric exclaimed. "How? Why?"

"Probably because our dear little Alison is the best at Potions." Jane said, sliding up them in the hallway. "Everyone knows she is amazing at potions; of course Snape's going to like her." Alison rolled her eyes at her friends but made no comment. It wasn't like they were wrong, anyway. Professor Snape had taken to her in first year, when he caught her reading a third year potions book. She also asked many questions almost every class and she seemed to be the only person who hasn't had points taken off her yet. She didn't question why; she was just grateful. She had seen how he treated some other people, especially the Gryffindors.

They had Charms next with Slytherin and the day continued on from there. She had one of her electives, Ancient Runes and after lunch came the class she was really looking forward to.

"Do you think that Professor Lupin will good?" Jane asked as they walked to the classroom. Alison shrugged, shifting her bag on her shoulder.

"As long as he is better than Lockhart." She said. "Though, Professor Lupin doesn't seem like the type to paint his own portrait… painting a portrait of himself." Jane laughed and they turned a corner, revealing a bunch of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors waiting outside the DADA classroom. Everyone was chatting quietly; the Gryffindors considerably louder than the rest.

Alison spotted two heads of bright red hair right next to the door. She turned to Jane, opening her mouth but she was interrupted.

"I'm going over here anyway." Jane nodded to a bunch of Hufflepuff girls; two of which were their dorm mates. "You go see your boyfriend." She winked, stalking off. Alison huffed angrily but knew better than to yell after her. That would attract unnecessary attention.

Alison made her way through the crowd, head down. She had noticed that she was attracting quite a lot of stares today and it was pissing her off. The kids who had grown up with magic had looked at her with a mix of pity and horror, while the ones who hadn't just kind of… stared, as if she was about to break down in a minute.

It was starting to get annoying.

"… hope she's alright." George was saying as she drew closer; she could tell its George because of his hair. It was longer than Fred's. "I haven't seen her all day, and she wasn't in the hospital wing."

"Did you ever think that maybe she was back in her dorm, having a shower?" Lee asked. Fred snorted, leaning against the wall.

"He's checked on Alison at the beginning of every class and at the end of every class." He said, a large grin on his face. His brother punched him on the shoulder. "I doubt she was in the bathroom for that long, mate."

"She is probably in her dorm, George," Angelina said soothingly. "I wouldn't worry too much."

George shook his head, eyes focused on something far away. "You guys didn't see her; Professor Lupin was talking to her but she just seemed vacant. She was barely there; I called out her name three times before she reacted and that was only because I was right in front of her."

Did he really? Alison gnawed on the inside of her cheek, trying to remember anything from the night before. She remembered the dementor touching her and the fears; _that_ she couldn't get rid of. She vaguely remembered Professor Lupin helping her and hugging George but in between was a blurry. It was like all the finer details had been wiped clean.

Fred stood up straight, his expression serious for once. He clapped George on the shoulder gently.

"Alison will be fine, Georgie." Fred said softly. His brother gazed at him and Alison felt like she was intruding on a very important and private moment. "She's a strong girl." She decided that they both looked too worried and she just couldn't have them stress over her when she was perfectly fine.

"I'd have to be to hang around you two." She said cheekily, sliding up to them. Everyone froze and turned to look at her. She slowed down, looking at them wearily. "What – AH!" A flash of red came at her and she was knocked down, landing with a thud onto the floor. Everyone in vicinity stopped what they were doing and stared.

"Thank merlin you're okay!" George whispered, somehow with his arms around her back. She blushed at their position but rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well, not for long apparently." She groaned, trying to shove him off. He grinned, catching sight of her blush and pressed her harder against the floor.

"Are you blushing, Miss Spinner?" He asked in a teasing tone. Her blush deepened and she tried to push him off again with no such luck; years of playing quidditch had built up his muscles, especially on the arms.

"Get off!"

"GROUP HUG!" Both George and Alison groaned as someone else fell down on top of them. Alison caught Fred's cheeky grin and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Get off!" She repeated. He pretended to think about it for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nah!"

"For once, Forge," George groaned from above her. "I agree with her. Get off, you fat lug!"

"Oi!" Fred cried. He craned his neck around to look at his friends. "Lee, come join us!"

Lee was only to happy to comply.

Alison couldn't help but laugh as Lee toppled on top, along with Angelina and Alicia. George, whose face was incredibly closed to hers, grinned at her and they laughed together. Everyone was laughing; Alison could see Jane smirking at her but decided to ignore her. She was enjoying herself. It was nice to feel happy after how she felt last night, and even this morning. It was nice, knowing that she was loved and that her friends were safe.

"Good morning! Everyone…"

Professor Lupin chose this moment to open the classroom doors and Alison was sure that he wasn't prepared to see a bunch of students looking like a badly made pyramid on the floor. Everyone had quietened down and Alison bit her lip, trying to hide her smile.

Fred and George, both in the middle of everyone, leaned on their elbows, inclined their heads casually and said at the same time, "Sup, Professor?"

That set everyone off. Alison was sure she was going to wet herself.

She could feel George's chest against her own, vibrating with laughter and she was positive that if they didn't get off her than she wasn't going to be able to draw another breath. Between laughing until you cried and getting squished beneath five people, her chance of getting a breath were slim.

Professor Lupin was smiling as he walked forward, hands in his pockets. He stood over them, head bowed down and he chuckled at Alison, who grinned up at him.

"I'm not sure I want to know how you ended up in this predicament," He said, amused. "But when you're done I hope you wouldn't mind joining the rest of us for class." A few students chuckled.

Fred pondered this with a smile on his face. "A tempting offer, Professor –"

"But we must make sure that Alison get's enough love for today." George cut in, smiling brightly down at the blonde. She rolled her eyes, willing herself not to blush at the compliment.

"Alison needs to breathe and she can't do that with all you fatties on her." She mocked. George and Fred gasped, Lee pretended to cry while Angelina and Alicia laughed.

"You… you…" Fred stuttered, looking positively heartbroken. If it wasn't for the gleam in his eyes she might've believed him. He managed to squirm out of their little huddle and fall to the floor beside the professor, mock sobbing.

"Did you hear what she said, Professor?" Fred wailed. "She called us fat!"

"After all we have done for you!" Lee cried, falling beside Fred. "You treat us like this?" They leaned on each other for support, pretending to cry. Professor Lupin laughed and Alison joined him.

"What are you laughing at?" George asked suddenly. "You're the one trapped under _me._ " Alison suddenly became aware of their position once again, though this time he was straddling her. Her eyes widened; how had she not noticed? She began squirming to try to get away but to no avail.

"No, George, please!" She begged but it was too late. With a gleam in his eyes George began to tickle her, making her shriek with laughter.

"S-stop!"

"Never!" George declared, laughing as he continued to tickle her. She twisted and turned, trying to get out of his grip. She couldn't; she was at his mercy and to be honest with herself, she didn't mind that much.

This continued on for a few minutes; Fred had joined in, leaning over her head to hold her arms down. Professor Lupin had tried to get them to quit but failed and so, he guided the remaining Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs into the classroom with an amused expression.

Alison could feel the tears running down her face and she was sure she going to wet herself if the twins didn't stop tickling her.

"G-George! Fred! S-Stop it!" She squealed, wriggling around. Both twins stopped and she let out a breath. "Thank merlin…"

"Hey, you're the one that called us fat." Fred laughed. He let go of her arms and stood up, smiling cheekily at the professor who was leaning against the wall. "Hello, Professor." Professor Lupin ginned, not bothering to say anything as he gestured to the classroom. Giving a mock salute, Fred skipped into the classroom and Alison heard him yell, "ANGELINA!" as he entered. There was a squeal and then a thud and Alison laughed.

"Why am I friends with you?" Alison asked, looking up at George. He was still on top of her, pinning her to the floor. The jagged bits of stone dug into her back painfully but she ignored it.

George smiled and swooped down to kiss her cheek and said joyfully, "Because you love me." He quickly got up and dashed past an amused professor into the classroom. Alison sat up slowly, feeling a little dazed; the smile was still on her face though.

"May I ask," The blonde turned around to face Professor Lupin. He was grinning, leaning against the wall. "Are they always like this?"

Alison laughed, throwing her head back. "Yep."

Professor Lupin chuckled, hands in his pockets. "I suppose I have my work cut out for me this year." Alison nodded, standing up and picking up her bag.

"I apologize in advance, Professor. They seem to cause trouble wherever they go." She chuckled to herself, before pausing. The blonde bit her lip, hesitant, before adding, "I want to say thank you, Professor."

"Hm? For what exactly?"

Alison fiddled with her bag strap nervously, suddenly retreating back her quiet self. "I… For last night. I've been told that it is quite serious when a dementor touches a human being… I just wanted to thank you for saving me." Professor Lupin blinked a few times before giving an awkward smile, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"You're welcome, Miss Spinner." He said softly. There was a loud bang form within the classroom, and a few girly shrieks were heard. Alison rolled her eyes as Professor Lupin chuckled. "I think maybe it's time we go in before those two destroy my classroom."

"I have no doubt that they would." Alison said, grinning.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was a pretty good class. Professor Lupin was witty and relaxed, making the whole lesson enjoyable. Alison could tell that she was going to enjoy DADA this year.

"Alison! Alison!" Alison looked up at George from where she had been packing up her things. They had one more class today before they were done and Alison was looking forward to being able to lie in her bed and do nothing. It had only been a day but classes were gruelling.

"Yes, George?" Alison said. He blinked, leaning on the table.

"I will never understand how you do that."

"Do what?"

"Tell us apart." He gestured to himself and Fred, who was talking to a blushing Angelina. "Our own mother mixes our names up; how do you do it?" Alison shrugged, closing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She brushed her hair out of her face and she looked at the freckled face boy, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.

"You two aren't entirely identical. For instance," She reached out to tug on his long hair. "Your hair is longer than your brothers. And you have a small scar right above your eyebrow from second year, when you and Fred thought you could juggle." She believed that particular instance involved knifes… Needless to say that they both received a month of detentions from Professor Snape. Shaking her head, she shot him smile. "You also are usually the one who seek me out, not Fred."

George laughed. "He is too busy with Angelina." They both looked over to the two in question. Angelina was laughing at something he said and Fred looked like he would explode from happiness. "I've been telling him to get a move on but he just won't listen."

"Honestly, George!" Alison chastised. "He really likes her!"

"That's my point!"

"He's probably nervous, you dimwit. He doesn't want to screw it up." She said. They started walking out of the classroom, bidding Professor Lupin a goodbye. He waved at them as he sorted through some papers for the next class.

George scrunched up his face, looking thoroughly confused at her statement. Rolling her eyes slightly Alison sighed and started to explain.

"They've been good friends since first year," She explained. "And so if he asks her out he's taking the risk that if things don't end well then he has effectively messed up their relationship and changed the group dynamic. Wouldn't you be a little hesitant as well?"

"Well… yeah." George admitted. He exhaled loudly. "That is just way too complicated."

Alison shrugged. "Just the way things are."

"It's dumb." George stated simply. Alison cracked a grin and shook her head. They walked in silence for a little to herbology; Fred was still with Angelina behind them and Alicia and Lee were in front, chatting away.

"Hey, Ali?"

"Mm?" She tilted her head and was surprised by the seriousness on his face. She stopped walking, giving him her full attention. "George, what's wrong?"

He stopped walking too and just looked at her. His brown eyes swept over her figure not in a way that made her uncomfortable; in fact, it caused a small shiver to travel down her spine. He was looking over her like he was making sure she was okay and she wouldn't disappear.

"Are you okay?"

Bewildered, Alison said, "Of course I am!"

"No, I mean… You were really freaked last night." George said, staring at her. "When I got to you, you were white and not really… there. It was quite scary, actually, watching you like that."

Alison was stunned by his obvious concern. He looked like he was really affected by what happened yesterday and she felt like it was her fault.

"George," She said, looking him right in the eye. "I am fine. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't terrified by what happened last night but I'm okay now. I had a few potions and I feel better. As long as I don't have to be near a dementor again, I'll be good." George nodded and the subject was dropped as their friends came towards them. Alison latched onto George's arm and gave it a squeeze, making him smile. He trapped her hand in his and didn't let go until they reached their next class.

Later that night, Alison was lounging on one of the armchairs in the Hufflepuff common room. The twins had invited her to Gryffindor tower but she had declined; she had told them she needed to get some work done and she had. The essay from potions was finished and she had read the chapter they needed for herbology. The transfiguration essay wasn't due until next week.

Alison looked up from her book as Jane came tumbling through the door, an irritated expression on her face. She spotted the blonde and came storming over to her.

"I hate Malfoy." She growled before Alison could even open her mouth. The brown haired girl dumped her bag in front of an armchair and fell down in it rather heavily. "Did you hear what happened to him?"

"Something about their Care of Magical Creatures lesson…?" Alison had faintly heard Ron complain about it to his brothers but hadn't paid any mind to it. She didn't like Draco Malfoy; who did? The kid was a snob and thought that he could do whatever he wanted. Whatever had happened to him, the blonde thought he probably deserved.

"Hagrid brought a hippogriff in for the third year class today." Jane explained. She had her classes on, which meant that she had just been to the library. Jane only ever wore her glasses when she was studying and she really needed them.

"You know how hippogriffs' are; they're prideful and demand respect. Of course, the little shit decided that he knew better and insulted the thing. Now he's up in the Hospital Wing with an injured arm."

Alison closed her book and swung her legs over so they touched the floor. "Serves him right."

Jane nodded furiously. "I know! Of course, the Slytherins are all saying that Hagrid should be fired."

"But it wasn't his fault!" Alison protested. "He obviously told them what to do and not to do. Hagrid is many things but he knows magical creatures. It's Malfoy's fault; Hagrid wouldn't purposefully try and get a student hurt." Jane sighed, closing her eyes and leaned back against the chair. Her brown hair was out of her ponytail and was slightly messy. Alison was sure hers looked the same but she decided she didn't care much. O.W.L year was proving to be extremely difficult and it was only the first day!

"Anyway," Jane sighed. "How was your birthday?" Alison's hand immediately reached up to grasp her necklace, a small smile making its way onto her face.

"It was great." Alison admitted. "Thank you for that book, by the way. Mum got me a beautiful bracelet. Cedric got me sugar quills and the Weasleys bought my books for me. I tried to pay Molly back but she refused."

Jane cracked a grin. "What about the twins?"

"Fred got me an owl." Alison said. "He's gorgeous! His name is Manny."

"That wouldn't happen to be that beautiful black and silver owl in our dorm, would it?"

"That would be the one." Alison grinned. Jane shook her head, muttering something onto her breathe before asking louder, "What about your boyfriend?"

Ignoring the boyfriend comment Alison answered, "George got me this." She held up her necklace and tapped the ball. Jane's eyes widened and she sat up straight, leaning forward to get a better view of the necklace.

"Blimey!" Jane breathed. Her eyes watched the tiny figures in the crystal ball. "George Weasley got you that?"

"Amazing, right?"

"It's gorgeous!" Jane said. She leaned back and shot Alison a look. "He totally loves you." Alison blushed and threw her book towards Jane, who laughed loudly.

"Hey, hey! Violence is not tolerated in Hufflepuff common room ladies!" Cedric walked over, dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He had an easy-going smile on his face as he stopped beside Alison, sitting on the arm of the chair.

Jane scoffed. "You're only saying that because you're prefect, Diggory." Alison gasped, turning her gaze to the light-headed boy. She gave him a shove, glaring at him.

"How come you didn't tell me that you were prefect?" She asked. Honesty, how had she not noticed? Cedric shrugged, ruffling his hair.

"I forgot?" He said sheepishly, a light pink tinge on his cheeks. Alison rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Of course you did." She muttered. He shot her a wink and she grinned. "Well, congratulations."

"Yeah, Diggory, congratulations, blah, blah, blah." Jane waved her hand dismissevly, looking extremely bored with the situation. The two other Hufflepuffs shared an amused glance. "Anyway, does anyone know what the hell Professor McGonagall was on about today? I wanna finish this essay first, because I have a feeling I won't be able to do it the night before it's due."

Alison snorted. "And you weren't placed in Ravenclaw… why?"

She was met with a pillow to the face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi...**

 **Sorry this took so long. It was already written but it just needed to be edited and I didn't do... that.. so, yeah.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any character, location, name, plotpoint, etc. that J. has written. I claim no right over the 'Harry Potter' franchise and only own any characters that are not in the books.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four – 19 Pages**

The next few weeks passed in a similar fashion.

Care of magical Creatures was a little boring; it seemed that Hagrid had lost his confidence after his first lesson with the third years. He was sticking to small creatures, nothing remotely interesting. Alison was planning to have a talk with him one day.

Potions was fine; the work was hard but she enjoyed it. She wanted to be a healer, so she needed to be spectacular at potions. Professor Snape pushed her to her limit and sometimes beyond that but she never held it against him. She knew that it was the only reason she was so good at Potions.

Alison found that her favourite class was Defence Against the Dark Arts; Professor Lupin was extremely funny and he turned a blind eye to any pranks that just happened to be in his eyesight. The other students had heard about the whole 'Snape Boggart' thing and she had to admit, it was pretty funny.

Alison stopped by the DADA classroom again after classes one day to thank him again about saving her and was invited in for a cup of tea. She would stop by occasionally, sometimes bringing Jane or the twins with her. The professor seemed happy to have her and she always asked him questions about what life was like at Hogwarts when he went to school. He was always happy to answer her questions, though, as it neared October he seemed to look worse for wear. Alison just brushed it off as stress.

Quidditch season had started up and Alison had gone down to watch the twins practice a few times. It was quite obvious that Oliver Wood was desperate for a win; he was pushing the team incredibly hard during practice. More often than not Alison would run down to the kitchens to bring her friends some hot chocolate to cheer them up a little.

It was the end of October and the school was buzzing with excitement. The first Hogsmeade visit was on Halloween; all of the third years were excited to be going out. Alison wasn't so lucky; she was swamped with an extra essay that Professor Snape had assigned her.

" _You are far beyond the capabilities of a fifth year, Miss Spinner, and as such you will not be treated as one."_

Ah, wasn't he pleasant?

"You don't have to finish it." George was telling her. She had decided to walk with her friends down to the entrance hall before heading up to Gryffindor tower; the girls from her dormitory weren't going to Hogsmeade, aside from Jane and so she couldn't finish her essay off in her bed. The common room was going to be filled with disgruntled first and second years so the common room was out of the question. Alison knew that the Gryffindor common room would be the same but she also knew that everyone in the boys' dorm was going to Hogsmeade today.

"Yes, I do." Alison said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I figured I would just hole up in your room until I finished." Lee leaned around the red-head and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do I get a say in this?" He asked. "It is _my_ dorm as well." Alison pretended to think about it for a moment before grinning and shaking her head.

"Nope, you don't!" She said cheerfully. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I can't believe that Professor Snape gave you extra work." Fred said in disbelief. He had an arm thrown over her shoulder, holding her close as they reached the entrance hall. "It's completely ridiculous." She shrugged.

"I don't mind." She said. "It's my best subject and it only because he pushes me that I am able to be so good at it."

"Modest much?" George grinned, enjoying the blush that erupted over her cheeks. Alison pinched his arm in response.

"Are you sure you will be fine here?" Angelina asked. "I feel bad."

"Well, she's not the only one that staying." Fred said. He pointed over to where the Ron, Hermione and Harry were waiting. Harry looked like it was the end of the world. Alison felt bad for him; it must suck to not be able to go while all your friends go and enjoy themselves.

"Maybe I'll hang around him for awhile." Alison said, looking over to Harry once more before turning back to the small group of fifth years. She shot a cheeky smile to the twins. "Maybe I can even get some work done with him with you two gone. Some peace and quiet will be nice."

"But peace is so boring!" Fred complained.

"And quiet too!" George added.

"Why would you want to have that?" They said together. She laughed, pulling them all into a hug.

George was last and as he hugged her he asked softly, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Alison pulled back from the hug and shook her head.

"No, It's fine. Go enjoy yourselves." She said, pushing him away slightly. "And buy me some sugarquills." George chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her cheek before running to catch up with his friends. Alison put her fingers to her cheek, her skin tingling from the kiss.

"Staying here, Potter?" Alison heard the distinct voice of Draco Malfoy shouted behind her. She turned around to see Malfoy and his two goons staring at Harry, smirking arrogantly. "Scared of passing dementors?" Alison could see Harry's shoulders shake for a minute as he walked pass them.

"Harry!" She called out, running over to him. He looked up from the floor and smiled kindly at her.

"Hey, Alison." He said. She grinned as she reached him, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You wouldn't mind walking with me would you?" She asked him. "I have a huge essay for Potions to do but I'm trying to procrastinate. I need an accomplice."

Harry chuckled. "Why aren't you going to Hogsmeade?" Alison shrugged, tucking her cold hands into her jacket pocket.

"I have an essay due and I don't really feel like going." Harry nodded and they fell into an easy step as they slowly walked around the castle. Alison sometimes forgot how big it was; it was easy to forget when you live here. There was always something new to discover; just last week she found a suit of armour that could dance. She wasn't sure if it was just a spell or it actually could dance but still, it was pretty amazing.

"Harry? Alison?"

Both students turned around to see Professor Lupin standing in his office door.

"Hello, Professor," Alison greeted kindly. "How are you?"

The older man smiled, eyes crinkling up around the edges. "I'm feeling a bit under the weather at the moment but I'm sure it will pass." He gestured inside his office. "Would you two like to come in for some tea? I was just about to put some on."

"All right." Harry said awkwardly. Alison bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. He was an incredibly awkward boy.

"I've just taken a delivery of a grindylow for our next lesson." Professor Lupin said as the walked inside; he gestured to a tank of water in the corner of his office. A little green creature with horns and long fingers was pressed up against the glass. Alison scrunched up her face in distaste.

"What's a grindylow?"

"A water demon." Alison explained to Harry. "They are incredibly strong little creatures but it's quite easy to break his fingers. They're very brittle."

Professor Lupin grinned, nodding as he tapped the kettle with his wand. It immediately expelled a burst of steam.

"Correct, Alison. Five points to Hufflepuff."

Alison beamed and Harry shot her an amused look.

Professor Lupin looked around his office for some tea cups before pulling some tea bags out of a dusty tin. "I'm afraid I've only got tea bags, but I daresay that you have had enough of tea leaves, Harry?" His eyes twinkled as Harry's own widened.

"How did you know about that?" Harry asked. Professor Lupin passed them both cup filled with hot tea and said, "Professor McGonagall told me." He scrutinized the boy.

"You're not worried, are you?"

Alison looked over at Harry, taking a sip of her tea and noticed that he seemed like he was torn about something. She wanted so desperately to ask but bit her tongue; now wasn't the time.

"No." Harry said finally. His face defied his answer though.

"Is anything worrying you, Harry?" Alison asked before the Professor could. Her light blue eyes were trained on the younger boy, eyeing him. Like she had said earlier, Harry was like a little brother to her. She felt like she should be helping him when he needed it.

Harry shook his head.

"No." He said firmly. Alison raised her eyebrows. Harry winced, hesitating before saying, "Well, yes." Alison leaned back triumphantly.

"Well?"

"You know that day we fought the boggart?" Harry said, turning to Professor Lupin.

"Yes." He said slowly.

"Why didn't you let me fight it?"

 _Professor Lupin didn't let Harry fight the boggart?_ Alison thought, watching Professor Lupin's reaction. He merely raised his eyebrows.

"I thought it would have been obvious, Harry."

Harry looked taken aback. "Why?"

Professor Lupin frowned slightly. "Well, I assumed that when you faced the boggart it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort."

Both Harry and Alison looked at the older man in surprise; growing up as a muggle they both weren't afraid of saying Voldemort's name. The only other person that could say it was Professor Dumbledore. Hearing another professor say it… well, it was a bit of a shock.

"Clearly, I was wrong," Continued Professor Lupin. "But I didn't think it would be a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagine people would panic." Alison agreed with the professor; Voldemort appearing in a classroom in front of a bunch of third years? Probably not the best thing to do.

"I didn't think of Voldemort." Harry said honestly. "I… I remembered those dementors."

A shiver passed over Alison as she remembered the dementors; she could completely sympathize with the raven-haired boy.

Professor Lupin leaned back in his chair. "I see. Well," He smiled slightly. "I'm impressed." Surprise passed over Harry's face. "That suggests what you fear most of all is – fear. Very wise, Harry."

It seemed Harry didn't know how to respond, so he brought his cup of tea up to his face and took a sip. Professor Lupin smiled and turned his gaze on the blonde, who had been watching the exchange in interest.

"What about you, Alison?"

Alison blinked. "Pardon?"

Professor Lupin chuckled. "What do you fear most of all?" He asked. Harry turned to look at her in interest and she swallowed nervously, placing her cup down on the desk.

"I, uh…" She thought about her fears. She hated snakes, especially after what happened last year. The dark scared her; she always felt alone. A frown marred her face; thinking about it, she wasn't really afraid of the dark. It was how alone she felt. She hated feeling alone. All of her childhood she had felt like that; her mother was never around so it was just her. When she came to Hogwarts and found friends, that feeling of being left behind had grown.

"I'm terrified of being alone." She finally said, not looking at either Professor Lupin or Harry. "Mentally, I mean. I don't mind being alone in my room or walking around the castle but knowing that no one is actually going to be there for me… Being alone just scares me. It's what I saw when the dementor touched me on the train; I was alone, no one knowing where I was, who I was and no one cared." She looked up to see Professor Lupin staring at her intensely and nodding. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

Alison would be lying if she said that she wasn't surprised to see Professor Snape when the door opened. He was carrying a goblet that was emitting a blue smoke and Alison narrowed her eyes, trying to remember what potion did that.

"Ah, Severus," Professor Lupin, smiling at the dark-haired professor. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it on my desk for me?" Professor Snape silently walked forward and placed the goblet down. Alison peered at it, listing off the potions in her head.

Draught of Peace? No, that has a silver vapour. Dreamless sleep? No, that's purple. It could be a Pepper Up potion but that was simple to make, and Madam Pomfrey always had a spare batch in her office. Why would Professor Lupin need Professor Snape to make it for him?

"I was just showing Alison and Harry my grindylow." Professor Lupin said cheerfully. Alison cracked a grin, looking up at the Potions teacher.

"Fascinating." Professor Snape said blandly; he looked like he didn't mean it in the slightest. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

Professor Lupin waved him off. "Yes, yes, I will."

"I made an entire cauldronful, if you need more."

"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thank you very much, Severus."

"Not at all." Said Professor Snape. He left the room, his expression stoic like it always was. Alison's mind was running through the list of potions in her head, picking out the ones that needed to be taken for a few days.

Harry, like Alison, seemed curious about the contents of the goblet; yet he looked slightly more worried. Alison resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew the hatred that was between Severus Snape and Harry but she thought it was completely ridiculous; of course, she could be a bit bias being his favourite student and all.

"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me. I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one," He picked up the goblet, sniffing it. He shuddered. "Is particularly complex. Pity sugar makes it useless."

"Why do you need that one?" Alison blurted out before she could stop herself. She blushed as both men turned to look at her. "I mean, Madam Pomfrey always keep some Pepper Up potion in her office. Surely, you could have asked her." Professor Lupin nodded, taking a sip of the potion and shuddering again.

"I have been feeling under the weather and I could have gone to Madam Pomfrey but this is the only one that works for me." He took another sip. "I'm lucky that Professor Snape is my colleague; not many wizards are up to making it."

"Maybe next time you can get Alison to make it." Harry said smartly, grinning when Alison shot him a glare. "She's really good at potions and she's Professor Snape's favourite student."

"Will you shut up?" She hissed at Harry. Professor Lupin laughed quietly, obviously finding humour in her discomfort.

"I suppose one day." The Professor said, shooting her a grin. Alison smiled nervously back, watching him gulp down the rest of the liquid. He pulled a face when he was done, setting the goblet down. "Disgusting. Well, Harry, Alison, I suppose I should get back to work. I will see you at the feast later."

Alison and Harry set down their cups and stood up. They bid goodbye to the haggard professor and walked out of the classroom. Alison glanced back briefly and nearly stopped short when she noticed something.

The goblet was _still_ smoking.

 _That should narrow it down._

* * *

"Right, so we got you some chocolate frogs, some lollipops and of course, too many sugar quills."

"There is no such thing as too many sugar quills." Alison retorted, taking the bag from George's outstretched hands. The bags from the twins and Cedric were in her dorm but she couldn't be bothered to go and get them. She reached in and pulled a blue sugar quill out and began sucking it as she returned to her Potions essay. She was nearly finished but she was stuck on one part; it was driving her mad.

"How long have you been sitting like that?" Angelina asked, peering over the edge of the lounge. Alison shrugged, nibbling the sugar quill.

"Probably since about… two this afternoon."

"Are you mad, woman?" Lee cried from his position in front of the fire. He paused suddenly, looking panicked. "Since when did we have a potions essay?"

"You don't, I do." Alison said, scribbling down some notes on a spare piece of parchment. She had about five books sprawled around her and it was becoming tedious looking over them all. The Hufflepuff was determined to finish it though; it was due in about two days, plenty of time but she wanted it done early.

"Professor Snape is insane." George said bluntly. He fell down next to her, ruffling her parchment. She glared at him and fixed up her work.

"I don't think he is insane. I quite enjoy his class."

Fred snorted. "That's only because you're his favourite and you know it."

"How ironic is it that the head of Slytherin's favourite student is muggle-born Hufflepuff." Alicia commented, sitting next to Lee. Everyone turned to look at her and she blushed, fiddling with her hair. "I-I didn't… not like…"

"It's okay, Alicia," Alison said gently. "I know what you meant." It did sometimes strike Alison how funny it was; he was the _head_ of Slytherin house after all.

"Why are you doing it now?" Fred complained. "The feast is about to start, Ali, and I refuse to miss it because you are an overachiever!"

Alison poked her tongue out at him, taking out another sugar quill and munching on it. George plucked the bag from her hands and grinned at her when she made a sound of protests.

"I know you, Ali," He said. "And I know that you will continue to eat these while you work and you'll feel really sick and you'll regret eating so many sugar quills." He ducked as she swatted him. Alison pouted, crossing her arms.

"Not fair!" She said around the sugar quill in her mouth. Everyone laughed at her, making her pout become more pronounced. "I hate you."

"Nah, you love me!" George said cheerfully. Alison blushed lightly but otherwise ignored the comment.

"Come on, then," Angelina said, standing up straight. "The feast will begin shortly."

"Are you sure you don't won't to come?" Alicia asked the blonde on the lounge who had resumed her writing. She didn't look up from her work as she responded.

"No thank you." She said, writing furiously. "I might come down if I finish this earlier but if I don't, can you get bring me some food back?" She still hadn't looked up but everyone knew that she was talking to the twins.

"Sure." They said in sync. Alison hummed, absorbed in her work. Everyone laughed lightly, making their way out of the Gryffindor Tower along with some other students. Alison hardly noticed them leave; she _did_ notice George kissing her cheek softly. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she continued working.

Alison eventually made her way up to the fifth year boys dorm, trying desperately to finish the essay. She only had a few sentences left and then she could go down and enjoy some delicious Halloween food.

 _Most potions are easily recognizable by their colour or their strange actions or smells. Felix Felicis can be identified by it's molten gold colour and its droplets that leap above the surface of the liquid like goldfish. Other potions, such as the Pepper Up potion and the Wound-Cleaning potion, can be identified by their unique characteristics. Pepper Up potion emits steam from the ears of the person who has consumed the liquid; Wound-Cleaning potion steams upon contact with a wound._

 _Quite a large portion of potions emit a smoke when brewed correctly. Fatiguing Fusion emits green-coloured smoke (which when inhaled is enough to start the effects). Wolfsbane Potion emits a faint blue smoke, and can smell rather –_

Alison's quill stilled.

' _Wolfsbane Potion emits a faint blue smoke.'_

 _Alison would be lying if she said that she wasn't surprised to see Professor Snape when the door opened. He was carrying a goblet that was emitting a blue smoke and Alison narrowed her eyes, trying to remember what potion did that._

Alison flew over to her advanced potions book and flipped through the pages, trying to find what she wanted. The heading flashed past and she went back to find it. When she did, she quickly read over the information.

" _The Wolfsbane Potion is an incredibly complex potion that relieves the symptoms of lycanthropy. Its main ingredient is quite obviously, wolfsbane (also known as monkshood or aconite). As aconite is extremely poisonous; when incorrectly brewed the Wolfsbane Potion can be very dangerous. Not many wizards are capable of brewing it."_

" _Wolfsbane Potion must be drunk each day for a week preceding the full moon; this enables the potion to work more efficiently. According to reports it has quite a horrible taste."_

" _When correctly brewed, the potion emits a faint blue smoke. Even once the liquid has been consumed, the goblet or cauldron will continue to smoke."_

Alison's heart pounded in her chest and she closed the book, her mind racing. The book had described perfectly the potion that Professor Snape had given Professor Lupin today. Hadn't the DADA professor said that it tasted disgusting? Hadn't he said he would need to take it again? And it had a blue smoke and once Professor Lupin drank it all, the goblet was still smoking.

Of course, she couldn't be entirely sure the Professor Lupin was a werewolf. It had only been two months since the start of school; not nearly enough time to be certain. Though, last month had taken a day off from teaching because he was sick; Alison faintly remembered that he had looked ill a few days before that. Now, he was starting to look the same.

"I can't just sit here speculating." The blonde muttered to herself. She glanced at the clock; the feast was due to finish soon. Alison was sure she could catch Professor Lupin straight after the feast ended. She had to talk to him; she had to be sure.

Making up her mind, Alison hopped off the bed and grabbed the first sweater she could find. It so happened to be one of the Twins' Gryffindor jumpers but she didn't care. She had to go down to that feast.

Quickly brushing her hair, Alison swiftly made her way down the steps. She walked towards the portrait hole and went to open the painting. She frowned when she was met with resistance.

"What…?" She muttered, pushing again. Nothing.

Her frown deepening, Alison went to push again when she heard a voice.

"LET ME IN!"

Alison flinched at the ferocity in the voice. It was man's but it was gravelly, almost as if he hadn't had a drink in a long time. Alison leaned closer to hear what was happening.

"N-no! Get a-away!" The Fat Lady cried. There was a scream followed by a tearing sound then silence. Alison bit her lip, trying figure out if she should try and leave or not. Against her better judgment, Alison leaned again the portrait hole and pushed hard against it. She let out a little squeak, falling through the hole and onto the floor. She heard the portrait hole swing shut and then heard a groan of frustration. Lifting herself up slightly, Alison caught sight of a pair of run down looking shoes and ripped up robes. She scrunched up her face and sat up fully, not prepared for what she was about to see.

Standing in front of her was a man. He would have been extremely good-looking, if it wasn't for the fact that he was so sunken in that Alison could see all of the bones in his face. He was sickly pale, dirt marring his face and what looked like his entire body. He was clothed in a striped robe that had several holes in it. She would have felt pity for him if she wasn't suddenly overcome with a wave of panic.

Because standing in front of her was the one and only, Sirius Black.

He stared at her, glassy eyes watching her movement as she reeled back. Her heart pounded in her ears and she felt liked a caged animal. His finger twitched slightly, but it was enough to send Alison reeling back. She fell into the wall before using it as a brace and taking off down the steps. She didn't know if Black was following her but she didn't really care at the moment; all she was focusing on was getting down to the Great Hall. If he was as smart as she thought he was then he wouldn't follow her but if he wasn't… well, then, sucks for him.

She rounded the steps, panting heavily. A few paintings watched her dash by, confused as to why she was rushing. Her hair flew widely around her face as she flew down the many steps in the castle.

The sound of running feet behind her distracted her and she peeked behind her. A tiny yelp left her as she saw a large black dog running after her.

 _Where-?_

Her foot caught on something and she screamed as she fell down a flight of stairs. She rolled down the steps, letting out yells of pain. When she reached the bottom her body was sent sprawling onto the floor; her head smacked loudly against the wall and her vision went blurry. She felt weak, her arm shaking as she tried to pull herself up. The pitter-patter of feet made her look up, scared; the black dog was standing in front of her, panting. She gulped and tried to back away. She screamed again as the dog morphed into Sirius Black and she flung herself back, forgetting about the wall behind her. Her head smacked against the wall again with a sickening crack and her world went black.

* * *

George made his way up to Gryffindor Tower, along with his twin Fred and their friends.

The Halloween feast had just finished and as promised, both he and Fred had some food wrapped up in a napkin for Alison. He was sure she would be down for the feast; she usually never missed them.

 _She probably fell asleep while doing the essay,_ George thought, a grin on his face. Fred saw his look and shot him his own grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. George smacked his brother on the arm.

"Oi, what's going on?" He heard Angelina cry. Looking in front of him he was surprised to see a large throng of Gryffindor students jamming the stairs to the portrait.

"What's going on?" Lee asked. George shrugged, craning his neck so he could get a look at what was causing the jam.

"I don't know," Fred said, copying his brother. "But whatever it is it can't be that everyone forgot the password."

"Let me through, please," Said Percy as he came bustling through the crowd. George stepped closer to the railing to let his brother through, rolling his eyes at his brother's obviously superior tone. "What's the hold up here? You can't have all forgotten the password – excuse me, I'm Head boy -"

He went silent. Then:

"Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

A murmur went through the crowd and the twins shared a look. They had never heard Percy sound that serious before, or that frightened. What had happened?

They got their answer when Professor Dumbledore came sweeping through the crowd as if it were water. The crowd parted and they caught a glimpse of the portrait hole. It was slashed up badly, and the Fat Lady was missing. Fred and George shared a look again, though this time it was more worried than anything else. It didn't occur to them to see if Alison was in there; they had forgotten she was in the Tower from the flurry of mumbling students.

Professor Dumbledore inspected the ruined canvas, barely glancing over it before he turned to McGonagall, Snape and Lupin who were running up the staircase.

"We need to find her. Professor McGonagall," He addressed the emerald robed woman, who looked a little flustered. Please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" A voice cackled from above them. Everyone looked up to see Peeves dangling above their heads, a large grin spread across his face. It was clear he was enjoying all the chaos and in any other circumstance, George would be grinning along with him.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" The Headmaster asked; the poltergeist's grin faded a little but he answered in his usual simpering voice.

"Ashamed," He whined. "Your Headship. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through a landscape on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between trees. Crying something dreadful." He flipped upside down and sighed. "Poor thing."

"Did she say who did it?"

Peeves grinned, flipping right side up. "Oh yes," he said happily. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." He flipped again and looked at the Professor like a kid in a candy store. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

There were gasps from everyone, all shocked into silence. For George, it was like a switch had been turned on and he felt himself go cold as he realized that Alison had been in the tower when Black had attacked.

"Did the door open?" George asked Peeves loudly, everyone looked at him but he ignored them; he needed to know if Black managed to get in or if Alison got out. He got his answer…

But it wasn't Peeves who answered.

"The portrait opened." One painting, containing an old man that hung beside the Gryffindor entrance, looked at the red head. George stumbled slightly; only Fred's hand wrapped around his arm held him up. He was sure that Fred looked very similar to him at the moment; pale and slightly sick.

"Did Sirius Black get in?" Professor Dumbledore asked the painting. The teachers were trying to move the students away but many refused to move; they all wanted to know what happened.

"No, sir." The portrait shook his head, hesitated, then continued. "The door flew open after the convict attacked the Fat Lady and a girl fell out. She obviously recognized him and took off running down the stairs, sir."

"Do you know who this girl was?" Professor Dumbledore asked. The portrait shook his head and the headmaster turned to look at the large group of students, particularly the ones containing the Weasley twins and gave them a serious look. The group of fifth year Gryffindor all looked pale and faint; Angelina Johnson was leaning heavily against the railing and one of the twins looked like they would start to be sick any minute now. He had a strong suspicion of who the girl was but he had to be sure.

"Who was the girl?" His tone left no room for argument. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. George opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out; it was like his voice had just disappeared form existence. He felt ill and like he was about to faint. A quick glance at his brother and he saw that Fred looked the same.

It was Lee who stepped forward, shaking slightly. "It was Alison Spinner, sir," He said. He swallowed. "She was doing an essay… She said that she would meet us in the Great Hall." _But she never showed,_ he added silently in head.

Professor Dumbledore looked worried, his eyes no longer twinkling like it had at the feast.

"I want you all to go to the Great Hall. Professor Lupin," He addressed the shabby looking teacher, who looked as pale as Fred and George. He was even shaking slightly, but no one noticed. "Can you please escort them there? The other houses will join you shortly."

"Professor!" It was Hermione Granger who spoke up. "Professor, what about Alison?" A hush fell over the crowd and the students looked at the Headmaster. His expression was grim as he answered.

"This entire castle, and its grounds, will be searched. I can promise you that." His eyes fell on the twins, who looked heartbroken. "I can't promise you we will find anything. Sirius Black would not linger."

"But sir," Hermione spoke up again. "If… If you can't find her…" She needn't say anymore; everyone knew what she was asking. George turned back to Professor Dumbledore, eyes pleading for some kind of answer. Unfortunately, it was not the one he was hoping for.

"Then it is up to the Aurors to find her. Now, everyone to the Great Hall!"

This time they listened, shuffling after Professor Lupin in silence.

It was a few hours later and most of the students were still awake. News of the break in had travelled around pretty quickly, as had the disappearance of Alison Spinner. Fred and George were sitting in the corner, surrounded by Lee, Alicia, Angelina and Janet and Cedric, who had joined them once they heard about their friend. The usually rambunctious group was sitting quietly. No one knew what to say and if George was being honest, he didn't really want to speak.

His best friend was missing, possibly in the clutches of a psychotic murderer. He didn't know if she had her wand or if she had managed to run away or if she hadn't even been given a chance to escape. He didn't know where she was, or where she could have gone.

 _I need the Marauder's Map,_ He thought to himself. _If she's still on the grounds, I can find her._

The doors opened and he looked up hopefully, like he had every time the door opened. He deflated when a teacher's head poked through, checking on the students. George had hoped that miraculously Alison would come walking through, blushing and muttering about how embarrassing it was to be missing.

"Do you think Black got her?" Angelina suddenly spoke up from beside Fred. The two were leaning against each other; Fred had an arm wrapped around her shoulders and in any other circumstance he would be teasing them but he had more important things to think about.

"Alison's a fast runner, Ange." Fred replied. He didn't need to add that Sirius Black was a mad man and could have possibly gotten to their friend pretty quickly.

"Do you think she had her wand?" Lee asked, looking around at all of his friends. Alicia was sleeping soundly beside him, tear stains on her cheeks. "I mean, if she did then she would have had some fighting chance. No one thinks Black has a wand and she's pretty good a dueling…"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Jordan." Professor McGonagall said grimly as she stopped beside them. Everyone but George looked up, eyes begging for some good news. The head of Gryffindor sighed, shaking her head.

"Miss Spinner did not have her wand." She said. "We have searched Gryffindor tower and her wand was found in the fifth year boys' dormitories." She gave the boys a reproachful look. "She looked like she was leaving in a haste."

"Professor," It was Angelina again. "You don't think that… I mean, Alison would still…" She stumbled over her words, but everyone knew what she was implying. Professor McGonagall took in a shaky breath; she looked nothing like the poised woman that they had come to know.

"Miss Spinner is an excellent witch, but she is still only fifteen years old. If Sirius Black has gotten to her…" She left that hanging in the air as she walked away, leaving the group of Gryffindors silent on the floor.

"I want to go to sleep." George said suddenly. Fred looked at him, taking in his blank expression and shaking hands. He reached over and placed a hand on his brother's arms, squeezing slightly.

"Okay, Georgie," He said softly. "Go to sleep." He watched his twin slide into the sleeping bag and bit his lip worriedly. He knew that George would take Alison's disappearance the hardest; it was clear to everyone but them that they liked each other. Fred was just worried that George might not recover, if the worst had happened.

And he wasn't sure he would either.

* * *

 _ **HOGWARTS STUDENT STILL MISSING! MINISTRY  
CLAIMS SIRIUS BLACK AS CULPRIT!**_

 _ **Two weeks after escaped convict Sirius Black broke into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Alison Spinner, a student at Hogwarts, is still missing.  
It can be assumed that the criminal Black kidnapped Miss Spinner the night of Halloween, just as she was leaving Gryffindor Tower. It is not known whether she was attacked or just simply kidnapped; No one has seen any sign of either two since. If anyone had any information regarding either Alison Spinner or Sirius Black, contact the ministry immediately**_ _ **.**_

A picture of a young girl was next to the article; she was smiling at the camera and waving.

 **Alison Spinner  
Age 15  
Blonde  
116 Pounds  
5'9"** **  
** **Most likely wearing a Hufflepuff uniform**

The Daily Prophet article was everywhere and it can be said that most of Hogwarts had grown sick of seeing it.

Two weeks had gone by since Alison's disappearance; the Aurors had been contacted when Alison didn't turn up the next day. They searched Hogwarts ground and even Hogsmeade but found nothing. The blonde had quite literally disappeared.

Most of the students had grown quite solemn, even when the Gryffindor .vs. Hufflepuff match had come and gone. The loss of one of their own had hit them quite hard. It hadn't hit anyone harder than it had Fred and George.

The two were still causing trouble but even the teachers could tell it was for more of a distraction than the desire to cause chaos. They still smiled and laughed but sometimes it was forced. Even Professor Snape was laying off of them a little; that was probably the only good thing that came out of this.

It was a Saturday, two weeks after Alison had gone missing and George was lying on his bed. It had pained both Fred and George when they had been allowed back to their dorms and they found Alison's stuff exactly how she had left it. All her pages and books were sprawled all over George's bed, along with some sugar quills. He had been about to complain, like he always did whenever she left her school stuff all over his bed; then he was hit by the fact that Alison wasn't there to complain to. He had silently stacked her stuff next to his bed as neatly as he could and gone to bed.

It was a late Saturday evening. Normally, he and his brother would be downstairs causing some kind of trouble or just hanging out but he wasn't feeling up to it. Fred tried; he had gone downstairs to hang out but ended up getting the homework they had been assigned on Friday done in the first hour, and then went to help Oliver with some Quidditch stuff. George had opted to just go to bed but found that sleep evaded him. His thoughts were filled a certain blue-eyed Hufflepuff.

He turned himself over, eyes falling upon the two frames that sat on his dresser. One contained a picture of his family; the other was one with Alison and himself. It was the same photo he gave her in the necklace. It was his favourite picture of them.

 _Where the bloody hell are you, Ali?_ He thought. _I miss you._

"George! George, wake up!"

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" George grumbled, not even bothering to lift his head from his pillow. He blinked slowly, his eyes sore from lack of sleep. Above him Fred sighed, standing up; a quick glance told George that he had only just woke up also. Groaning he lifted his head up and glanced at the clock.

"Fred! It's three in the morning!"

Fred rolled his eyes. "I know that," He walked over to his bed and picked up a jumper, rushing to put it on. "And trust me, I'm as unhappy as you are but McGonagall came knocking on our door a few minutes ago and told me to get you and meet her downstairs."

Immediately, George was wide awake.

"You don't think…?" He trailed off but Fred knew what he was asking. He only shrugged but he hoped, like his brother, that Professor McGonagall brought good news.

When they finally made their way downstairs, they found Professor McGonagall leaning on one of he armchairs; it surprised George how even at three in the morning she still looked like very poised.

"Good, you are here." She said as they came to stop in front of her. "Now, you will not speak until I am finished, am I clear?" They both nodded, wary at what she was about to say. Taking a breath, the tired professor spoke.

"Alison has been found…"

* * *

The first thing that registered in Alison's mind was the pain. Oh, how her head ached! It was pounding, like someone was constantly hammering her skull. Her legs ached, as did her left arm. Or, what she thought was her left arm. She wasn't sure; everything seemed a little hazy.

Voices flooded in and out of her focus constantly, all flooding into one. She couldn't move. She tried but nothing seemed to respond. She could _feel_ everything but nothing would move.

Alison didn't know how long it had been since she became aware of herself. She was sure it had been a few days, but it could have been a few weeks. As time moved on she became more aware of her surroundings. It was usually quiet but occasionally there were mumbles. A little more time and she could feel whenever someone touched her. It caused her an incredible amount of pain but she couldn't cry out; she still couldn't move.

Occasionally someone would come in and hold her hand. They wouldn't let go for hours and they would always talk but she could never make out the words. She felt frustrated, because she was aware that they were there but yet to them she was still sleeping. She now understood what it felt like for those people in a coma; awake, but not really.

She was surprised when she felt someone take her hand and she could feel how rough their hand was. Their skin was warm but that may have been because she was so cool. And then it hit her that she could feel the cold; she could actually _feel_ the cold!

"Please wake up, Ali."

She would have frozen if she could have moved. The voice… she could make out the words! She could hear them! But she couldn't exactly pin-point who it was that spoke.

"Ali, it's been nearly a week since they found you and I'm dying to see you open your eyes." Who was it? A fluttering feeling set in her stomach when she heard the desperate tone of the person's voice. They sounded sad and she just wanted to jump up and tell them that she was fine. She wanted to tell them that she was okay, even if she couldn't remember who she was saying it to.

They talked to her for a while before leaving. Some time later she managed to sleep (how, she would never know), but it wasn't a peaceful sleep.

" _Please don't hurt me!"_

" _I'm not going to hurt you, sweetheart, I'm trying to help you. Lie down before you puke."_

 _She cowered in the corner, terror filling her. She eyed the entrance of the cave but even if she did run, it was storming. She'd end up lost and with pneumonia in minutes. And he would find her… wouldn't he?  
_

 _She could see the inside of the cave – it was dark but a small fire at the back gave it a warm glow. The wind howled outside but she didn't really mind. Her head throbbed as she sat up, bringing a hand to her head. She pulled back her fingers and gave a gasp as she realized there was blood on her fingers. That's when she started to panic._

 _Standing up quickly Alison ignored the dizziness that swept over her; instead she stumbled forward, almost collapsing. Her legs felt still and yet like jelly, while her vision had yet to adjust to the darkness. She blinked, leaning heavily against the wall._

 _Something brushed along her leg and she screamed._

 _The trees whipped by her as she ran through the forest. It was cold but she paid no mind to it. She just needed to run, get back to Hogwarts. She didn't know where she was, or how she had ended up at the side of the forest. She was terrified; it was dark, it was cold, and she had no recollection of how she had ended up like she had._

 _Alison fell down for the millionth time; she had dirt and mud all over her. The Gryffindor jumper had holes in it from getting snagged in branches. Her shorts were a bit frayed and did nothing to give her warmth. Her legs were covered in dirt and had a few bruises and scratches; the same for her arms. She was sure her hair was dirty and matted, and her face looked disgusting._

 _She panted, trying to stand up but she kept slipping. Groaning, she collapsed, too tired to move._

Alison's arm throbbed in pain and she let out a quiet groan. Her head was pounding and she reached up to rub at it. It did nothing to ease the pain only making her skin red from the rubbing.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. It was hard; her lids felt like they were stuck together. She tried to pry her lids for a few moments before finally succeeding. She closed them immediately because of the bright light that burned her eyes. After a few minutes she opened them again, the light not hurting her so much. She blinked, bleary eyed, trying to focus on her surroundings.

The first sight she saw was a large white roof. It was incredibly bright so she turned her head away; she was surprised when she was met with white wall, covered in a few paintings. Blinking, she tried to sit up, only to cry out when she put pressure on her left arm. She looked down and was shocked to see a cast wrapped around her wrist, extending to her elbow. She flexed her fingers, trying to remember what happened.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" Alison jumped and looked up wide-eyed. The woman in a lime green uniform smiled softly at her, walking towards her bed carefully. "It's alright, hun, you're safe now."

"Where-?" She meant to ask " _Where am I?"_ but the words wouldn't come out. She coughed, reaching a hand up to rub at her dry throat.

The woman smiled, pulling out a wand and summoning a glass of water. She handed it to the young girl, who looked at it hesitantly; the woman sighed and placed the glass in Alison's hand, wrapping her fingers around it.

"Honey, you're safe. You're at St. Mungos. He can't get you here." She tilted the drink up to her lips. "Drink."

Alison followed her orders, gulping the water down; her throat was so dry and the water felt amazing! She swallowed the whole glass and when she was finished she handed it back to the brown haired woman.

"Who can't get me?"

The woman froze from where she was fiddling with Alison's cast and looked up.

"Do you… Do you not remember?" The woman asked gently. Alison furrowed up her brow and shook her head.

"I don't…" She stopped. "I was in Gryffindor Tower and then I woke up here. Why am I here? What happened? And why can't I remember?" Alison started panic; what happened to her? Why was her memory shot? The last thing she remembered was heading up to the boys' dormitories and then waking up here. Where did the woman say she was again?

"…can't remember anything after that night, Healer Jackson." Alison looked over to the door to see the woman enter, along with another woman who was watching her intently. Alison didn't even realize that the first woman had left.

"It could possibly be trauma." Healer Jackson said. The red-head smiled in Alison's direction, coming to a stop at the end of her bed. Alison eyed her warily, but made no move to push her away.

"Hello, Alison." The healer said. "I'm Healer Jackson; I work at a hospital called St. Mungos, which you are currently in. Can you tell me what date it is?" Alison was surprised by the question answered nonetheless.

"It's October 31st, 1993."

The first woman looked at the Healer worriedly but the woman paid no mind. She walked around the bed and sat on the end, staring at Alison.

"It's been three weeks since October 31st, Alison." The Healer said softly. Alison gasped.

"What – How? I…" Three weeks! She couldn't remember three weeks of her life! Her heart rate increased and she began to breathe rapidly.

Healer saw her as she began to panic and was quick to try and calm her down.

"Alison, sweetie, calm down!" She said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You'll cause yourself more stress than you need to at the moment."

"Why can't I remember?" Alison asked tearfully. She looked between the two woman, desperate for an answer. "What happened?"

"Can you tell me who Sirius Black is, Alison?"

Alison looked at her. "What has that got to do with me?"

"Just answer the question."

"He escaped from Azkaban," Alison said, sniffling slightly. "He… He was a Death Eater-"

" _People thought I was a death eater but I'm not. I could never be one, not after I watched my brother fall at their hands."_

"Alison?"

Alison blinked, Healer Jackson's face coming into focus. The Healer held a hand up and waved it in her face. Alison pulled back and shook her head.

"Uh…"

"Did you remember something?" The Healer asked urgently. Alison looked up and for some reason, she felt like she shouldn't tell her the truth.

"Um… I think so, but, it was just flashing images. Some trees and stuff." She wasn't completely lying; she _did_ actually see some trees. She just didn't see them right now.

The two woman looked disappointed but quickly recovered.

"Never mind then. You'll probably get flashes of stuff you don't remember, so be careful. Anything could trigger it." The healer warned but Alison paid no mind to her.

"I just want to know what happened, and how I ended up here." The girl pleaded. The Healer took a deep breath, and sat up straight.

"On October 31st you went missing." She explained. "Sirius Black broke into the castle and was trying to enter Gryffindor Tower. You ended up leaving the tower at the same time he was there. We don't know exactly what happened but you were no where to be found. One of the portraits said they saw you being chased by Sirius Black. Two weeks went by; no one could find you, or Sirius Black. It was assumed that you were kidnapped by Black."

Kidnapped? What?

"The gamekeeper of Hogwarts found you in the forbidden forest about a week ago. You were suffering from pneumonia, a concussion and a fractured arm, along with several bruises and cuts. You were barely alive when he found you; it was obvious you had been in the forest for a few days. It amazes me that you survived a few nights in the forest; it was extremely cold."

Alison felt overwhelmed by the information she had received, her head throbbing painfully. She had been kidnapped? She couldn't even remember leaving Gryffindor Tower! She had watched her friends leave for the feast, then went up to the boys' dormitories to finish her essay… What had she been writing? She couldn't remember.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Alison." The Healer patted her hand softly. "We have contacted Professor Dumbledore, as well as your mother to let them know that you have awoken."

Alison gasped. "Oh my Merlin! My mum! The… Fred! George! Can I see them?" The healer shook her head.

"I'm sorry, hun, but we aren't allowing any visitors. We want to make sure you aren't under any influence, such as spells or potions and that you are healing well. You should be out of here by tomorrow." Alison nodded, looking down at her lap. Healer Jackson sighed and stood up, pulling out her wand. "Now, I just need to see how everything is healing and I can decide on some potions for you to take."

As it turns out, Alison was healing quite well. She got given a few potions, mainly to fight of the pneumonia and her arm was fixed. She wondered why the hadn't done it before but Healer Jackson said that they didn't like to do anything when the patients were asleep in case it made their situation worse.

She lay in bed that night, tossing and turning. She had tried to go to sleep but she kept thinking about what she had remembered earlier. She couldn't place a name, or a face, but it sounded vaguely familiar. It kept her up until early morning, when one of the matrons checked on her and gave her a dreamless sleep potion. She didn't really think much for the next few hours.

The next day, breakfast was delivered to her, along with today's newspaper. She picked at the fruit bowl, reading the paper. She was surprised (again) to see her face on the front of the paper.

 _ **MISSING GIRL FINALLY AWAKENS!**_ **  
** _ **Last Monday night, Miss Alison Spinner was found in the forbidden forest with several injuries, including a fractured arm and skull.**_

"My head was not fractured." Alison grumbled to herself.

 _ **The Hogwarts student was admitted to St. Mungos, where she has been residing since. Healers at St. Mungos say she is recovering but will not give any further detail on the matter. Rumour has it that she has awoken but there has been no confirmation.  
Will Miss Spinner be able to help the Ministry locate the notorious Sirius Black? Or has he caused her too much pain and suffering?**_

It was completely ridiculous; they were making it sound like a soap opera! She has been missing for two weeks and they are making it into a story! Honestly! The nerve of some people.

Later that night, Healer Jackson had decided to keep her another night, despite the girl claiming she was fine.

"I'm sure you are," The red-head had responded. "But I have to be certain that you'll stay that way." Alison understood why she had to stay but it didn't make it any less annoying. It didn't help that Healer Jackson came in an hour later, a frustrated look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Alison asked; the Healer shut the door gently and gave her an apologetic look.

"I'm really sorry." She said, walking forward. "But the Minister is here to see you."

Alison was shocked. "The Minister for Magic?"

"The very one." Healer Jackson nodded. "He has a few Aurors with him too; they want to question you about what happened."

"But I don't remember what happened!" Alison cried, reaching her hand up to brush through her hair. Healer Jackson sat down on the side of the bed and reached out to pat her arm gently.

"I know. I told Fudge to give you another few days but he seems adamant that they speak to you." She rolled her eyes. "He's an idiot, so don't take anything he says to heart, alright?" Alison nodded. "Oh, and I contacted Professor Dumbledore. I refused to let them talk to you without him present." Alison sagged in relief.

"Thank you." She sighed, running her hands through her hair again. She wrinkled her nose at she felt how disgusting her hair was. The older woman laughed and brought out her wand, muttering something softly. Alison's felt her hair go up into a ponytail and fingered it, smiling gratefully when she felt the softness.

"I'll go see if Professor Dumbledore has arrived."

Healer Jackson left the room and Alison sighed, leaning back. Why did the Minister want to talk to her? What was she supposed to say? She couldn't remember almost three weeks of her life and they expected her to tell them all about Sirius Black?

"Miss Spinner."

"Professor Dumbledore!" Alison said, smiling at the older man. His long beard was still as white as ever and he wore his usual robes with twinkling stars on them. His half-moon glasses sat perched on his nose as he smiled at her. He walked into the room, followed shortly by a man with a top-hat and a pin-striped cloak. Alison paled as she realized it was the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge was followed by a tall, dark African man dressed in blue robes. Another man entered; she recognized him as Alastor Moody, one of the greatest Aurors of all time. He was missing a few limbs, the wood of his leg smacking against the floor. His eye zipped around, constantly searching for danger. She would have been terrified if she wasn't so fascinated by him. The last person that entered practically _tripped_ into the room and Alison felt a grin spread on her face.

"Tonks!"

"Well," Breathed the older girl, standing up from where she had fallen. Her hair was bright pink and spiked up; she still had that cheeky little grin on her face like she did at Hogwarts. "If it isn't little Alison Spinner." She paused, tilting her head. "I guess you're not so little now, though. How are you?"

"Irritated." Alison said bluntly, causing the older girl to laugh. She hadn't seen Tonks since her second year; she had heard that the girl had gone to be an Auror and was excelling. Moody coughed and Tonks sobered up, though she sent a wink to the blonde, who felt a little more relaxed at seeing her here.

"Miss Spinner," Cornelius Fudge stepped forward, his eyes trained on her. "How are you, my dear?"

"I'm… tired." Alison said finally. "And sore. But I'll live." The Minister nodded.

"Good, good, that's good." He said, looking around the room. Alison narrowed her eyes, sitting up straighter. She had a bad feeling… "I'm glad you have been found and I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your recovery but we just need to discuss a few things."

Alison eyed him warily. "Like what?"

The Minister cleared his throat and looked over to the Aurors as if asking them to step in. The African man stepped forward; he was extremely tall but he looked kind. Alison didn't feel too frightened.

"Can you tell us what happened on October 31st, Miss Spinner?" His voice was deep, intimidating but Alison still answered, albeit quite shakily.

"Uh…" She swallowed; Professor Dumbledore sent her an encouraging nod and she took a deep breath. "I had an assignment due, a Potions assignment and I wanted to finish it early. So, I stayed behind during a Hogsmeade trip and was in Gryffindor Tower trying to finish it."

"Gryffindor Tower?" The Minister interrupted. "Aren't you a Hufflepuff?" Alison nodded hesitantly, biting her lip. "Then what were you doing in Gryffindor Tower?"

"I just said… I was doing-"

"How did you get in?" Fudge demanded and Alison's heart leaped but she ignored it, staring at the Minister.

"I gave the password." She said timidly. "My friends are in that house and they…" Seeing the look Fudge was sending her made her trail off and she picked at the bed sheets.

"If I may interrupt, Cornelius," Professor Dumbledore said. He stepped forward, smiling politely. "I was under the impression that this whole conversation was to simply ask Miss Spinner if she had anything useful to tell us. I am quite aware that she regularly enters Gryffindor Tower and I find absolutely nothing wrong with it."

"Please continue." The tall man said. Alison was shaking, suddenly overcome with nerves but she continued anyway.

"I-I was in Gryffindor Tower, up in the boys' dormitories finishing the essay. I decided to go down to the feast, though, I can't remember why." Alison looked down, brow furrowed as she tried to remember that night. Her head was starting to hurt. "I think… I needed to see someone? Or talk to someone? Probably one of the twins." She stopped talking and looked up at the Aurors. "I can't remember after that."

"What do you mean you can't remember?" Fudge looked positively annoyed with her at that comment; she swallowed nervously, avoiding his gaze.

"I can't remember anything after that. Nothing at all."

"Will you ever remember?" Tonks asked her more kindly than the Minister.

"Healer Jackson said that I should remember but there is no telling when." Alison explained. The Minister's face seemed to get a little red. "I… I have remembered flashes. Of trees and stuff… Nothing really useful."

"This is completely ridiculous!" Cried the Minister. He pointed a finger at Alison, who jumped in surprise. "I want this girl to be monitored at all times!"

What? Alison looked at Tonks in panic but the girl just rolled her eyes, glaring at the Minister. Moody stepped forward with a grunt, staring down the Minister.

"I doubt a fifteen-year-old girl helped Black get into Hogwarts, Minister." He said. Fudge shook his head.

"She is hiding something, Moody, Kingsley!"

"I can't remember!" Alison cried. "Three weeks of my life are gone and you accuse me of helping a criminal?" Was he being serious? Was he really accusing her of being in league with Sirius Black?

"You never know, Miss Spinner."

"Cornelius," Dumbledore stepped in, hands clasped neatly in front of him. "I doubt Miss Spinner was helping Sirius Black. She is quite a student and exceptionally kind; a true Hufflepuff." Alison blushed and glared at Tonks when she snickered. "I have faith that she is quite innocent."

"And I think you should leave." Healer Jackson said as she appeared in the doorway. She glared at the Minister, her fiery red hair tied up in a bun. "You are causing my patient stress and that is the last thing she needs."

Fudge looked offended. "My dear woman-"

"That wasn't a suggestion, Minister. That was an order." Healer Jackson walked into the room and came to a stop right in front of Fudge, who looked quite stunned. He opened and closed his mouth several times before coughing awkwardly and shuffling out of the room. Kingsley (She assumed it was him) sighed and gave Alison a small smile.

"We'll be in touch." He said before stalking out of the room. Moody gave her stiff nod, following Kingsley out. Tonks winked at her before speeding away, leaving the blonde alone with her Healer and Headmaster.

"Honestly! That man!" Healer Jackson grumbled. Alison cracked a small grin and the red-head smiled back. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Alison replied. "Just… tired." Healer Jackson nodded.

"That's to be expected with the potions I gave you. And of course being interrogated doesn't exactly help."

"Healer Jackson," Professor Dumbledore decided to step in and both girls blushed as they remembered who was in the room. Alison wasn't too worried though, if the twinkle in his eyes has anything to say about it. "Can I inquire as to when Miss Spinner will be discharged?" The Healer blinked before spurring into action.

"Oh. Yes, um…" She pulled out her wand and waved it over Alison. The tip briefly glowed blue and she smiled. "Possibly tomorrow morning, Headmaster." Alison sighed, relieved; she didn't want to be stuck here anymore.

"Good, good." The headmaster said. He smiled, eyes crinkling, at the blonde. "You have been missed, Miss Spinner."

Healer Jackson snorted. "Believe me, I _know._ " Alison sent her a look but the older woman didn't say anything; she only grinned cheekily before walking out. Alison huffed, folding her arms. Why did her Healer have to be so irritating?

"I believe it has something to do with boredom." Alison jumped at the sound of Dumbledore's voice before blushing at his chuckles. She hadn't realized she had said that out loud; how embarrassing.

"Thank you for coming, Professor Dumbledore." Alison said, sending a grateful look to him. He winked, walking out of the room with a surprising amount of grace.

Alison sighed, finally alone. She leaned back against her pillows, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Her eyes lingered on the cast on her arm; she was bit irritated that it would have to be kept on for a few days. Healer Jackson said that it had been broken for a few days so it would take a little longer to heal fully, even with the potions. So for now, she was stuck in a disgusting sweaty cast.

Gross. She did _not_ miss being a muggle.

As she dropped her healed-but-still-kind-of-broken arm, she caught sight of some black against the white. Frowning, she lifted her arm back up to inspect.

 _We missed you, Spinner,  
Love Gred and Forge_

A smile lit up her face; so the voices she heard was them? That made a lot of sense. She noticed that underneath something else was written.

 _Can't wait for you to get back, love. Miss you lots._ _  
_ _Your Knight in Shining Robes_

Alison grinned, a blush adorning her cheeks. She still remembered that from first year; it had been a joke between the two for awhile now and she doubted she would ever get tired of it. George apparently wasn't either.

That thought made her fall asleep with a smile on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Please don't hit me!**

 **I know it's been awhile and I'm really sorry. I won't give you any excuses; I can only give you the next chapter. Thank you everyone who has read this story so far, it means a lot.**

 **xx**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any character, location, name, plotpoint, etc. that J.K Rowling has written. I claim no right over the 'Harry Potter' franchise and only own character that aren't in the books.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five – 11 Pages**

Alison bounced slightly in her seat in Healer Jackson's office. She was going back to Hogwarts today and she was so happy! Three weeks of not seeing the castle made her anxious (even _if_ she couldn't remember). If she had to be honest, it wasn't so much about seeing the castle as it was seeing her friends.

She hadn't received any word from any of them since she had awoken but that was expected. Healer Jackson told her that there were no visitors (apparently the Minister of Magic is excluded from this rule. Figures) and that included letters.

She was in some clothes that Professor Sprout had sent through. Bless Jane, who knew her so well. She sent one of the twin's jumpers; Alison didn't want to know how she acquired that.

"Alright, Alison," Healer Jackson said as she came into the room. The poor woman looked knackered, working a double shift. She had insisted on staying through the night so she could discharge Alison, so she had dark bags under her eyes. No doubt she would be going to have a long sleep when she finally went home.

"You ready to leave?"

"Yes." Alison said, beaming at the woman. The Healer smiled and handed her a pot of floo powder. Alison stood up, taking a handful of the powder. "Just to the Headmaster's office?"

"Yes." The Healer repeated, nodding. "Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you. Now be sure to come back if anything is wrong, and in a few days go get the cast removed by Madam Pomfrey, okay?"

"Thank you, Healer Jackson."

"Call me Mary." She said, smiling. "And it was a pleasure. I hope that we meet under better circumstances." With one final goodbye, Alison stepped into the fireplace, yelled her desired location and was swept up in a haze of sickening swirls. She never liked travelling by floo powder, something Fred and George found hilarious.

She finally stumbled out into the Headmaster's office, slightly out of breath. Dumbledore was standing in front of her, waiting. He smiled as she appeared and she couldn't help but grin back.

"Lemon drop?" He offered, holding out a bowl of the muggle sweets. She thanked him, accepting one and popping the sugary substance in her mouth. She almost moaned aloud but decided to stop, saving her from embarrassment.

"Everyone is down in the Great Hall for lunch and I am sure you are eager to join." The old man said. "Welcome back, Miss Spinner."

"Thank you, Professor."

Alison can admit that she said that just after she rushed out of the room.

Her heart starting beating faster than normal as she walked towards the Great Hall. It was strange, seeing Hogwarts' halls so empty. She hadn't seen the halls this empty since –

 _She rounded the steps, panting heavily. A few paintings watched her dash by, confused as to why she was rushing. Her hair flew widely around her face as she flew down the many steps in the castle._

 _The sound of running feet behind her distracted her and she peeked behind her. A tiny yelp left her as she saw a large black dog running after her._

 _Standing up quickly Alison ignored the dizziness that swept over her; instead she stumbled forward, almost collapsing. Her legs felt still and yet like jelly, while her vision had yet to adjust to the darkness. She blinked, leaning heavily against the wall._

 _Something brushed along her leg and she screamed._

 _The dog gave a surprised bark and backed away. She pushed herself against the wall, staring wide-eyed at the canine. It stared back, yellow glowing eyes lighting up in the darkness. Her chest heaved, panting though she had done no running. The dog whimpered and sat down, tilting its head adorably. If Alison wasn't so terrified she was sure she would be cooing over the ratty looking animal._

"Alison?"

Alison blinked and found herself kneeling on the floor. A hand was placed on her shoulder and she looked up into the concerned face of Professor Lupin. Her breathing was shallow and she took a deep breath of air.

"S-sorry." She stuttered. Professor Lupin shook his head.

"Don't apologize." He said. "Are you okay? I saw you collapse just a few minutes ago."

Minutes? Alison shook her head, regaining her bearings.

"I… The Healer said to expect that. Memories coming back at weird times and stuff." She pushed herself up straighter and Professor Lupin's hand fell from her shoulder. She smiled weakly at him; she had to clench her fists to stop the shaking. She did _not_ want to be sent back to St. Mungos, especially since she just got out.

"Are you sure you are okay?" He asked and Alison nodded. He sighed and stood up, helping her up in the process. "Up we go. There. Now, one: It is good to see you back." Alison smiled and his scarred face smiled back in reply. "And two: You have some people waiting for you."

Alison beamed, saying, "Goodbye, Professor!" and jogged lightly down the hall. She still felt a bit dizzy but she knew that would pass. Seeing Professor Lupin, one of her favourite teachers, only brought back the excitement of seeing her friends even more. While she couldn't remember the past three weeks, they could. It must have been hard to not know what was happening to her; she couldn't imagine sitting around if one of her friends were missing.

Alison's stomach soon turned to butterflies the closer she got to the hall. She could hear the voices of the students and she bit her lips, knowing that the twins were in there. They were who she was most excited to see.

She rounded the corner, nodding politely to Nearly Headless Nick, who beamed at her. The blonde came to a stop in front of the entrance; she was glad the doors were open. Less attention onto her that way.

She glanced around the hall trying to find one of her friends. She needn't have tried; there was a sudden screech and then something collided with Alison, who stumbled. She laughed lightly as she realized that is was Jane who was currently hugging her.

"Oh my god!" Cried Jane. "You're back!" Alison nodded, hugging the girl back with equal strength. She could feel Jane's tears on her jumper and was suddenly overcome with emotion. It hit her that she had been missing; she wasn't just at the Hospital Wing or had gone home but _missing._ They had no clue what happened to her; for all they knew, she was lying dead somewhere.

Alison shuddered; it was a scary thought.

"I'm here." Alison murmured. Jane stepped back after a moment, holding onto the blonde's arms. Her hazel eyes were shiny with tears but she still smiled.

"I just…" Jane breathed, closing her eyes and opening them again a second later. "I'm just glad you are okay."

"So am I."

"Oi! Weasleys!" Jane suddenly bellowed, attracting the attention of the entire hall. Alison blushed when she heard several people gasp; they were all staring at her, wide-eyed. It made her uncomfortable. Jane seemed to be ignoring them and dragged Alison to Gryffindor table by the hand. Alison beamed when she saw the Twins, who were looking at her in shock.

Without even saying anything, Alison ran towards them. They opened their arms just in time for her to throw her arm around each of them. She didn't mind when they squished her together; she didn't mind that they were crushing her ribs. She felt safe and happy and at _home._ Being with the Twins made her feel at home.

"You're back." One of them stated; Alison didn't know which one because her eyes were closed but she nodded. She didn't say anything, afraid if she did that she would start sobbing. She missed them so much!

They didn't say anything but they didn't need to. They were just glad to be back together again.

"Merlin, we missed you."

The tears started.

* * *

Alison leaned her back against George's front, staring at the Black Lake in front of them.

When they finally let her go, Alison was passed around like a parcel. Lee hugged her tightly, as did Angelina and Alicia – the latter bawling her eyes out. Hermione greeted her, as did Harry, Ron and Oliver. Cedric came over from the Hufflepuff table to greet her, hugging her tightly. Alison was conscious of the jealous stares of some of the girls but she didn't really care. She was just glad to be home.

Fred had suggested they go outside when he saw how uncomfortable Alison was getting. She was practically carried by Fred and George outside to a patch of lush grass where they all sat down. The Golden Trio opted to stay inside, while Lee, Angelina, Alicia and Jane had joined the Twins and Alison outside. They were currently soaking up the sun, enjoying laying about. Lee had dragged Alicia into the lake half and hour ago and soon Angelina and Jane had joined them ("Three against one? No fair!"). Left behind was Fred, George and Alison; not that she minded.

"How long do you have to keep this on?" Fred asked. He was doodling on her cast. Alicia had summoned a marker because she wanted to write on her cast. The others had joined her and then Fred decided to just draw.

"For a few hours, at least." Alison replied, eyes shut. "Healer Jackson said that it had been broken for a few days so it would take longer to heal, even with the potions."

"And you don't remember anything?" Fred asked. She shook her head, her nose scrunching up.

"I remember seeing you off and then deciding to come down myself. Then… nothing." She groaned, frustrated, and opened her eyes. George was staring at her from above, a small smile on his face. She poked her tongue out at him and he chuckled. "What are you smiling at?"

"You." George said simply; it made her heart stutter. Her breathing hitched and she was sure Fred noticed because he let out a snicker. If George noticed, he hid it well.

"It's irritating, and kind of scary, not having your memory." Alison sighed. Her fingers started tracing patterns on George's knee unconsciously. "I can't remember anything; it's like… a hole in the wall and you know that something is supposed to be there but it isn't."

Fred snorted, louder this time. "Nice description." Scowling she pulled her arm away and whacked him on the front of the head. "Ow!" He pouted at her, rubbing his forehead but she only shrugged, grinning mischievously. George's chest rumbled against her back as he laughed at his brother's pain.

"Dear Merlin, I missed you." He said, still chuckling. Fred rolled his eyes but smiled.

" _We_ missed you." He added, giving his brother a pointed look. George blushed but Alison didn't notice.

The mood suddenly turned somber at Fred's comment, their grins fading. Alison sat up and turned around so she could see the both of them; they were staring at the ground, lost in thought.

"We were so worried, Ali." George whispered. "You… We didn't know what happened-"

"Or where you went-" Fred added softly.

"Or if you were even…" He stopped, swallowing with a pained look on his face. Alison reached over and clasped his hand in hers, doing the same with Fred. They both looked up and smiled, albeit a little teary. Alison felt her own tears start to appear in her eyes.

"I am okay." She said, her voice cracking slightly. "I am fine and _alive._ It doesn't matter what happened, as long as I'm back."

Fred shook his head, crying, "Still, Ali, it was torture!"

"You should have seen the Fat Lady's portrait!" George said. "It was ripped to shreds and to think that the same man who did that had you…" He trailed off and looked away. He sighed. "It's been a rough three weeks."

They didn't say anything for a few minutes. There was nothing to say. Fred and George were/are terrified and nothing Alison could say would change that. So, they opted to sit in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

They were back together and that was all that mattered.

* * *

"Hey, Ali?"

"Yeah?" The blonde replied, looking up at Jane.

They were sitting at the Hufflepuff table (for once) and Alison could feel everyone staring at her. Luckily, her own house seemed to ignore her for the most part; just the occasional "Welcome back!" and hugs. She didn't know many people but she was known to almost everyone; being best friends with the Weasley Twins did that.

The Weasley Twins who were currently watching her like a hawk. She could feel their eyes on her back, seeping into her soul.

Okay, she was being a little dramatic but it's been a tiring few days.

"Do you think they'll ever stop watching?" Jane asked, a smile on her face. Alison rolled her eyes.

"No." She said. "For the rest of my life, this is what I am in for. Do you know it took me _half an hour_ to convince them that I could sit at my own House table?"

"Really?" Jane laughed. She waved cheerily to the twins, much to Alison's displeasure, and they waved back with identical grins. She grinned cheekily to Alison who scowled at her, stabbing her pork harshly. Jane winced.

"What's your issue?"

Alison sighed, dropping her fork. "I already feel like an idiot. I don't need them adding to it." When she saw Jane's confused face she elaborated. "I mean, I know I am a good witch; I'm good at spells and I'm pretty good at dueling. I _know_ that you carry your wand at all times and I didn't." She shook her head and ran her hands through her hair, frustration etched on her face. "To think if I had my wand…"

"You would have probably ended up dead." Jane said bluntly. "Sirius Black is crazy, wand or not. You would have been dead."

"Whatever." She still felt stupid. Leaving without her wand… what was she thinking?

"Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about." Jane said; a grin appeared on her face that made Alison a little weary. "Guess who I heard talking about you?"

Alison rolled her eyes. "Everyone?"

"No!" Jane paused. "Well, yes, but this person was different. _He –"_ She put a large amount of stress on _he._

Alison was worried.

"- Was talking about you today, in a very positive light." Jane smirked, popping a piece of pork in her mouth. Alison raised her eyebrow at her sneaky expression.

She grew a little agitated when Jane didn't say any more. She just continued eating, humming something under her breath. Alison knew what she wanted and she wasn't going to give it to her. So, she returned back to her food and tried to ignore the sneaky glances Jane was sending her. She would _not_ cave in.

…

She lasted about five minutes.

The blonde sighed, dropping her fork. "Who was it?"

"Roger Davies!" Jane squealed, also dropping her utensils. Several heads turned in her direction and Alison blushed, sending her friend a look.

"Can you keep it down?" Alison hissed quietly. Jane either didn't hear or or didn't care; she was voting on the latter.

"I'm sorry, but Roger Davies was talking about you!" Jane said excitedly eyes wide. "Aren't you thrilled?"

Alison gave a strange look. "No, why would I be?" Jane's face turned to one of horror and she nearly rolled her eyes again but reined it in.

"I mean I'm flattered," And she was. It was no secret that the fifth year Ravenclaw was extremely attractive. He was tall and well built, and the star chaser on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He was incredibly charming (which is why most of the female population at Hogwarts adored him) and had a dazzling smile. Alison couldn't really understand why he was talking about her but she was flattered; what she _really_ didn't understand was why Jane was so excited.

"But I don't understand why I should be thrilled."

" _You_ should be thrilled because he was talking about how attractive you are!" Jane said. "He was planning on asking you out on a date!" At this Alison froze, staring at her friend. Jane scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, seriously, you aren't _that_ surprised, are you?"

"Well, uh," Alison stuttered. "Yes. Why…? Did he say when?" Jane shook her head, popping some pasta in her mouth. The first year Hufflepuff beside her caught her attention and Alison took this moment to think.

Roger Davies was going to ask her out? That's… wow.

To be fair, Alison had been asked out a few times but she had always said no. At first it was because she felt she was too young but then she started having feelings for George. So, she turned down any invites to Hogsmeade because she didn't want to lead anyone on (And if she was being honest with herself, part of it was because she hoping George might eventually ask her). She knew it was silly, to think like that, and dangerous but she couldn't help it. Maybe saying yes to Roger, if he did indeed ask her out, would be okay. She was attracted to Roger she wasn't going to lie but she didn't know him well enough to have any romantic feelings for him. Maybe getting to know him, dating him, would be good.

"Anyway, I think he is going to do it soon." Jane said, breaking Alison out of her musings. "He looked really flustered but excited. It was actually really cute to watch." The two girls laughed and dropped the subject, returning to frivolous things like homework and classes.

Dinner ended soon after and they made their way down to the Hufflepuff Basement. Alison couldn't wait to snuggle up in her bed; she missed the patchwork blanket and the fluffy socks. She missed the morning light streaming through the windows – something Jane loathed – and waking up to other people. She missed Manny; Jane had told her that Fred was looking after him since she had been gone but sent him back once she had been found. She couldn't wait to see her beautiful owl again.

And when she finally snuggled into bed, light out and the soft breathing of her dorm mates surrounding her, she smiled.

She was home.

* * *

The next week passed in similar fashion.

All her teachers welcomed her back – besides Snape - and told her what she had missed. She was little horrified because it was O.W.L year and she couldn't afford to miss anything. She had a long few weeks ahead of her.

Fred and George had taken to escorting her everywhere, and watching her from the distance. At first she was fine with it but after two days it was annoying. She felt like a prisoner being watched by the guards. She didn't say anything to them though; the sheer panic on their faces when she went to the bathroom alone during dinner and didn't come back until half an hour later because she was caught talking to the Fat Friar was enough to keep her mouth shut.

She had not remembered anything else since her return and secretly she hoped she never would. Kingsley had come back and she had to go through another round of questions in Dumbledore's office. He seemed less intimidating than when Fudge was near him – or maybe it was just the picture of him lounging in Dumbledore's office eating lemon drops.

Today was a Saturday, which meant Quidditch - Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff. Everyone was buzzing; mainly the Gryffindors.

"If Ravenclaw smash Hufflepuff-" Fred was saying animatedly beside her as they walked to the pitch.

"Sorry, Ali!" George said, throwing a sheepish grin at the Hufflepuff.

"Then we are still in the running for the Quidditch cup!" Fred skipped forward and shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to face George and Alison. He walked backwards as he spoke, much to the amusement to the two in front of him. "Then of course Ravenclaw will have to lose to Slytherin, unfortunately, but Gryffindor will still be in."

"If Ravenclaw lose then we play them." George said. The twins paused suddenly, a look of horror passing over their face before they said, "Oliver is going to kill us!"

"You're being a little dramatic!" Alison said, rolling her eyes. She continued down the path towards the pitch, the distinct sound of the cheering crowd getting louder the closer she got.

"Dramatic?" Fred repeated; he scoffed and crossed his arms as he fell into an easy step beside her. "My dear, have you met Oliver Wood?"

"He'll be working us everyday for hours to make sure we will be prepared for a match against Ravenclaw. He'll wake us up before the sun rises and won't let us go until the sun sets." George looked distinctly terrified at the thought. Alison felt some pity for them; Oliver Wood was known to be a bit of a Quidditch nut. He wanted to win and it didn't help that it was his last year to win the cup.

"I'm sure it will be fine and besides," She shot them a smile. "You can't tell me that you'll regret it when you win the Quidditch Cup?"

"Fraternizing with the enemy, Spinner?" Cedric said as he jogged over to them. He was dressed in Hufflepuff Quidditch robes, a relaxed smile on his face. Alison grinned at him in greeting.

"I don't see how they are the enemy, Cedric."

He pointed to the twins. "They are Gryffindors and they want-" He pointed to himself and her. "Us to lose."

"It's true." George agreed. Fred nodded.

"We do."

Alison laughed, shaking her head and muttered, "Boys and Quidditch!" under her breathe. George shoved her softly, making her stumble. She glared at him as the boys laughed and continued to make their way up to the stands. They parted with Cedric and Alison wished him good luck.

"Sorry boys," Alison said, turning to the twins. "But I have to go support my house over there." She pointed to a sea of students all dressed in yellow and black. The twins pouted but she was gone before they could open their mouths.

Unfortunately, Hufflepuff was smashed by Ravenclaw. The match wasn't very long; the Ravenclaw seeker found the snitch pretty darn fast. Alison was disappointed that they lost but she was also glad that the twins wouldn't be pouting when she met up with them.

Alison was walking across the grounds by herself later that day. She had been called up to the Headmaster's office (again!) for questioning and no one had objected when she announced she wanted to go for a walk. Even the Twins had let her go, thought they had kept shooting her looks as she left the hall. Jane was too but she couldn't figure out why.

The Black Lake looked really pretty at this time of day. It glittered in the sun light which made it seem not so dark. She tossed in a rock, watching the water ripple where it landed. She started to think and really, that wasn't a good thing, because when she thought she worried.

And she was worried. It had been a week since she had awoken and she still couldn't remember anything other than the ones from the start of the week. It bugged her; knowing that three weeks of her life was missing from her memory made her feel queasy. That, and the feeling that had been plaguing her stomach for the last few days.

It was like she had forgotten something important, something that was entirely too important to forget. It had to do with Sirius Black but she had the strange feeling that it wasn't bad. No, it was… she wasn't sure if the word _good_ was the one she should use.

"Hey, Alison!"

Alison looked behind her and smiled when she saw Roger Davies walking down the path towards her. Jane and her hadn't mentioned anything about him since Jane told her he was planning to ask her out. Alison still didn't know if she believed it but she couldn't help but be excited. She was only a girl, after all, and Roger was particularly handsome. You would be an idiot not to want to go out with him.

"Hi, Roger." Alison said as he stopped right in front of her. His long hair fell into his eyes, although it looked wet (probably from the showers). He had a large grin on his face and his hands in his pockets.

"Hi." He repeated. "Did you come to the game?"

Alison laughed, nodding. "I did. I shouldn't be talking to you; you beat my house!"

Roger sighed dramatically, flipping his hair. "We were just better, Alison." She shoved him and he laughed, brushing his hair to the side.

"Modest, aren't you?"

"Yep!" He replied happily and she couldn't help the grin that came over here face. They started a slow walk around the lake, both deep in their thoughts.

"So," Roger sighed. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and cast a sideways glance at Alison. "What'd you doing out here?" Now it was Alison's turn to sigh.

"I got called up to the Headmaster's office again." She explained. "The Minister still seems to think that I know something about Sirius Black." Never mind the fact that she had explained over and over again that she couldn't remember a thing. She had even offered to undergo Veritaserum but he declined. It was starting to drive her mad.

"How are you, by the way?" Roger asked. "After everything you've been through you seem fine."

"I feel fine." The blonde admitted. "I mean… I can't remember three weeks of my life – I don't know what happened while I was gone and that's the most traumatic thing, I think. Not remembering. I get flashes, every now and then, but nothing of value."

Well, that wasn't the whole truth but Roger didn't need to know that.

"That's good." He paused then, looking suddenly very uncomfortable. He shuffled around a bit, opening and closing his mouth. Alison watched, amused.

"Are you and George dating?"

"What!"

Alison almost tripped over and Roger had to dive to stop her form falling. He grabbed her arm and her waist, pulling her back up. Her head spun at the fast movement but it passed after a few seconds. Besides, his question was more important than her health.

"Are George and I dating?" She repeated. "What – No! Why makes you think that?"

At this he raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

She nodded, cheeks flushed. He grinned at her slightly and let her go, stepping back.

"Have you seen you two when you're together? You act like a couple. Sorry for assuming but…"

"No, no!" Alison shook her head. "No, it's fine. I just… would you believe that Madam Pomfrey and Professor Flitwick believed the same thing?"

"Really?" Roger laughed. "Can't say I blame them."

Alison let out a puff of air. Honestly! Why did everyone think they were together? Sure, they were close but they didn't look like a couple!

Did they?

 _No,_ Alison thought, shaking her head again. _There is no way._

"Well, this is awkward." Alison gave a nervous chuckle, brushing her hair away from her face.

"And I'm probably going to make this even more awkward but," He took a deep breath before speaking. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

A grin spread over Alison's face and she briefly had the thought that Jane would probably die from squealing right now.

"Yes, Roger." She answered with a smile. "I'd love to go on a date with you."

The way his face lit up made Alison feel all giddy inside.

* * *

It was the second of December when things started to go downhill.

The day started out well. Alison walked down to breakfast with Jane, talking about random nonsense. She sat down for breakfast, had some food and Cedric joined the conversations. When she finished her food she switched over to the Gryffindor table to sit with the Twins, as she did most days. They joked and laughed before class.

Then the mail came.

Alison was surprised when a letter was dropped in front of her. She recognized her mother's elegant swirly writing right away and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked, noticing her frown. She ignored him and opened up her letter.

 _Alison_

 _I hope this made it to you, and I must say that this 'owling' is quite different then what I'm used to.  
Anyway, I just wanted to see how you were doing. And ask that you come home for Christmas.  
I know you haven't been home for the holidays since you were eleven and contrary to what you think I do notice. The house is empty and without you I don't have any decorations up. I miss that. So, I decided that I want you to come home.  
Love, Your Mother_

"What?" Alison whispered, a baffled expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" George leaned over her shoulder and read the letter. She tried not to blush at his close proximity and answered him.

"My mum has sent me a letter for the first time in…" She paused, thinking. "Ever. And she wants me home for Christmas." Was her mother going insane? Was this even her mother? It must be an alien that was posing as her; there was no way that it was her mum.

That was when it all started.

As they walked up the steps Alison tripped several times and after the third time, George held her arm with his hand to make sure she didn't fall. Of course, she ended up taking the ginger with her. They ended up having to go to the hospital wing, much to their friend's amusement. That meant that they were late to class – thought George suggested that they skip all together which she adamantly refused to do – and it just so happened to be the one class she had yet to catch up on: Charms. So, she spent most of the class questioning Professor Flitwick on the things she had missed and still didn't understand.

She fell over about five more times, twisted her ankle twice and nearly broke her nose walking into a door. She nearly blew up her potion in potions class and in herbology she was nearly strangled by one of the many plants with waving vines. She almost fell out of a window, lost her wand and her bag broke twice. By the time lunch came around Alison was exhausted.

"Whoa," Jane said as Alison slumped down beside her. "What happened to you?" Alison's normally beautiful hair was scrunched up in a messy bun and her skin was pale. Upon closer inspection Jane noticed that the blonde was shaking. "Oh my god, you're shaking!"

"I've had the worst day." She mumbled. She rested her head on the table, closing her eyes gently.

"Do you want to go to Madam Pomfrey?" Her friend asked. "She can give you something and let you rest for a bit."

Alison shook her head. "No. I've already been a few times today; I think she's ready to wrap me up in bubble wrap." Jane snorted and they sat in silence, the brunette eating and Alison trying to calm herself down.

"No!" Alison whined; they were heading to Transfiguration when she realized the she had forgotten her homework. Jane sent her a pitying look an Alison grabbed her arm gently. "Could you-?"

"I'll cover for you but you owe me!" She said, pointing a finger at her. Alison thanked her and rushed away; she was surprised that she didn't trip or run into anyone at all.

She should have known.

As she walked up towards the main entrance, right in front of the Great Hall, she spotted something flash from the corner of her eye. Frowning, she paused and glanced out the doors. Something ran past and she took a step forward but she couldn't see anything. Sighing, she turned back around…

And was suddenly covered in slime.

Gasping, Alison looked up into the smirking faces of some sixth year Slytherins'. Snickering, they took off, leaving the Hufflepuff alone.

Alison squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears at bay but it was no use.

" _Please don't hurt me!"_

" _I'm not going to hurt you, sweetheart, I'm trying to help you. Lie down before you puke." Black said gently, holding his hands out._

 _She cowered in the corner, terror filling her. She eyed the entrance of the cave but even if she did run, it was storming. She'd end up lost and with pneumonia in minutes. And he would find her… wouldn't he?_

" _I need you to calm down."_

" _Calm down?" Was he being serious? "I'm sorry, but when you wake up somewhere you don't know with an escaped prisoner right in front of you the first thing you would do is panic!"_

" _You're drenched." Alison commented as a gaunt looking dog came wandering in. In a second, it had turned into a man with knotted black hair that hung down drenched, and a hollow face. Still, he smiled at her and rolled his eyes._

" _I was out trying to find us some food." He explained. Alison frowned, standing up._

" _You're lying. I know that there was a game scheduled for today." She said; the man frowned and walked further over to her to sit on the blanket that they had managed to nick. The blonde watched him as he sighed._

" _Did you see-?"_

" _Yeah." He sighed again, nodding. "I saw him." A tiny smile fell over his lips. "He flies just like his father, only better. And watching him go after the snitch… it was like watching James going after the quaffle back in school."_

 _A dark look overcome his face and he dropped his head to hide his face. Alison was sad for him and sat down beside him; she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and leaned her head against his shoulder. Though she couldn't see it, he shot her a grateful look._

" _It'll get better, Sirius." She mumbled. "You'll see."_

A gasp escaped her lips as her mind came snapping back to reality. She collapsed to her knees, trying to regulate her breathing.

Could she not catch a break?

With some difficulty, Alison managed to get herself back onto her feet. The disgusting green liquid dripped from her head onto the floor and she grimaced, tears appearing in her eyes. With a deep breath she stumbled her way up the stairs.

It didn't occur to her to go to her own house dormitories until she had said the password to the Fat Lady and trudged her way up the stairs into the boys' dormitories. Even then, she didn't care. She placed her bag on the floor by the door – it was covered in slime but she was sure a simple cleaning spell would get rid of it – and entered the bathroom. She stripped off all of her clothes and hopped into the shower.

It was there that she let loose the tears that had been there all day, and once she started she wasn't able to stop.

George was someone who lived by the motto, "Expect the unexpected." But when you hear loud sobs coming from your shared bathroom of three boys and it sounds like a girl, you can't help but be a little surprised.

Of course, then it kicks in that the only girl that would be in his bathroom would be the girl who had been missing for half the day and then he is walking swiftly over to the bathroom door.

"Alison?" He says gently, knocking on the door twice. The sobs from inside die down but he can hear the muffled choking sounds which told him that she was trying to keep quiet. It wasn't working very well.

"Ali, what's wrong?"

Alison closed her eyes and bit her lip; she had hoped she would be calm enough by the time everyone finished their classes but as soon as she had stepped out of the shower her crying increased and she had collapsed to the floor. She hadn't moved since.

Now George or Fred (she oculd never tell just by their voice) were on the other side of the door and she had no clue what to do. She hadn't really though this through, had she?

"I'm just…" She sniffled, trying to speak clearly but it came out as a jumbled mess. She took a deep breath and asked, "Can you please get me some clothes?"

"Ali..."

"Please?"

Her voice took on an unnaturally high pitch with hysteria lacing her tone. She heard them shuffle away before he came back and knocked on the door softly. She wiped her face gently and stood up, wrapped a towel around herself and opened the door. Looking at him now, Alison could tell this was George. She smiled gratefully at the red-head, who looked taken aback at her lack of clothing. Nevertheless, George handed over the shirt and pants to Alison. She shut the door and proceeded to get dressed; she had been out of the shower for that long that her hair was mostly dry, so she left it down and opened the bathroom door again.

George was sitting on his bed, her now clean bag sitting next to him. He looked up as she entered and she blushed when he flashed her a dazzling smile. Shaking her head softly she made her way over and sat down next to him. Her fingers twisted themselves nervously but calmed down when he wrapped an arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulders and sighed, closing her eyes. They sat like that for a few minutes, not saying a word. Then George spoke.

"What happened?" His voice was quiet, not wanting to break the delicate silence that surrounded them.

At the question Alison's finger began twisting themselves again – being reminded of the horrible day she had only made her feel anxious and worn out again.

"I've had a horrible day." She admitted, eyes still closed. "I mean, in retrospect, it could have been worse but…"

"It was still horrible." George finished. Alison sighed again and nodded. There was silence again.

"I have a date with Roger Davies."

"Oh?" George couldn't say he was too surprised; Alison was a beautiful girl and he knew a few guys who thought the same. The Ravenclaw wasn't one of them though.

"Is it okay if I stay here tonight?"

George kissed the side of head and brought her closer to him, breathing in her smell. She smelt like a mix between her body wash and his own. It made a giddy feeling rise up within him, one he struggled to keep at bay.

He had been struggling lately to hide his feelings for her. It was fairly recent, a few months at most. Fred didn't know yet and Alison certainly didn't have a clue – he wasn't ready for her to know yet. But it didn't stop him from watching her from afar or making her smile constantly because it happened to be one of his favourite things in the world. While he hated when she had been through grief he ha to admit he loved that she ran to him when it happened. Not Jane, not Fred, _him._

So, though she didn't know he felt and she wasn't going to know anytime soon, he was happy with her presence in his life. Little did he know that Alison was thinking the same thing.

And when Fred came up to check on his brother, he wasn't surprised to find Alison and George lying on George's bed, sleeping. He left the room, grinning, and wondering how much he could make of bets on those two.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character, location, name, plotpoint, etc. that J. has written. I claim no right over the 'Harry Potter' franchise and only own any characters that are not in the books.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six – 8 Pages**

The day before the end of term was a Hogsmeade weekend and to a certain blonde, it was a special one.

Today was the day she went on her first date with Roger Davies, a Ravenclaw in her year. She woke up early, excited, and proceeded to get ready. She didn't go overboard, much to Jane's chagrin, and only put on some jeans and a long sleeve tight fitting shirt. As she said to Jane, "I'm going to be wearing my cloak half the time anyway." She put on some nice boots as well and did a little make-up, putting her hair into a half up do.

Jane watched her get ready from her bed - on anyone else it would have looked a little boring but Alison was a rare beauty that held grace and wistful innocence in every essence of her being. Fred had once compared her to a fairy or a mermaid last year, she recalled. Alison didn't know it but most of the girls of the school envied her beauty and her equally beautiful personality. Her hair was an unnatural blonde colour, almost white and it complemented her light skin tone. Her eyes were a vivid light green and were wide with a light that seemed to never leave. Her lips, when not smiling, were in a perfect pout that Jane knew muggles paid people for.

Yet despite all this, Alison didn't seem to realize just how amazing she was. She was a shy girl, with a biting personality when needed – courtesy of hanging around the Weasley Twins. It always stunned Jane that Alison was such an enigma to herself; it was like the girl couldn't see herself clearly.

"Do I look alright?" Alison asked Jane. The brunette looked up from the magazine she was flipping through and gave the blonde a once over.

"You look stunning, even in jeans and a shirt." Jane answered with a little resentment in her tone. Alison arched an eyebrow and Jane huffed. "I mean… Seriously! _Jeans and a shirt!_ And you look about ready to walk the runway!"

Apparently having enough Jane rolled off her bed and stood up, walking out of the dorm, muttering under her breath. Alison blinked and shook her head but otherwise ignored her. It was probably her time of month again.

She turned back to the mirror, making sure nothing was out of place. Her hand reached up to play with her necklace and she smiled, watching as the memories changed. It still hasn't lost its power over her – she still adored it.

Making sure to grab her cloak, gloves and some money, Alison exited her dorm room and made her way to the Great Hall where her and Roger agreed to meet. It was only a few minutes until the first lot of carriages went off.

Until she was off on her date.

The thought made her grin and blush as she entered the Great Hall. She hadn't been on many dates, as she wasn't really the type of girl to go on them. However, she was trying something new this school year and going on a date with Roger Davies was one of them.

"Charms or Transfiguration?"

"Ohh!" Roger grinned. "Transfiguration. What about you?"

Alison shrugged. "Neither of them."

"Ah, that's right – you're a potions nut." Alison hit his arm softly and he chuckled, fixing his beanie.

"I am _not_ a potions nut!" Alison sniffed – Roger raised his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe a little bit but can you blame me? All the colours and ingredients and reactions – it was all so _appealing!_

"Maybe not." Roger laughed, swiftly leaning away from her hand again. "But I don't understand how you put up with Snape."

Alison shrugged for the second time, burying her hands in her jacket pocket. "He's alright to me," She said softly. "Hard, yes, but it pushes me to do better, to be the best."

"And you are." Roger agreed. "You are notorious for your potions skills."

"I want to be a healer." Alison admitted, ducking her head to hide her blush. "I want to help people and potions is such a huge part of that. If I know everything I can about them, then I have a greater ability to help people so much more."

She grew agitated under the Ravenclaw's gaze, turning to face him when he stopped in the middle of the street to stare at her; she shifted from foot to foot, biting her lip.

"What?"

Roger shook his head, smile blinding.

"You're are much more amazing than I thought, Alison Spinner."

When Alison returned to her dorm that night she couldn't get the grin off her face.

* * *

"Where did you guys go? What did you do? Did he kiss you? Did you kiss him? What-?"

"Jane!" Alison laughed, hauling her luggage out of the Hufflepuff dorm; today was the start of Christmas holiday, which meant she was returning to spend her first Christmas with her mother since she left for Hogwarts. She was trying not to think too hard about it but something inside of her was telling her something was off.

Jane rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the blonde. "Seriously! How was your date? You didn't say anything yesterday and have barely mentioned him today! I swear, you are _not_ going anywhere until you tell me _something!_ "

"Alright, alright!" Alison shook her head but couldn't keep the grin off her face. "The date went well; we went to Hogsmeade, walked around and talked for a while. We had some butterbeer and food and talked some more. We didn't kiss."

"You didn't kiss?"

"No, why would we?"

Jane sighed, shaking her head in almost exasperated fondness.

"You are hopeless." She declared and Alison shrugged, their footsteps echoing loudly off the stone floors as they made their way out of the hallways and into the courtyards. There, the students who were leaving for Christmas were lingering in the white snow with their friends – Alison and Jane just kept walking, heading straight for the gate where the carriages were waiting.

"Jane, I barely know him," Alison reasoned. "Think about it – We haven't really spoken at all and you expect me to kiss him on the first date?"

Jane cast a sideways glance at her. "Would you have stopped him if he had tried to kiss you?" A blush crept up Alison's cheeks but she shook her head, biting her lip.

"No, I wouldn't have." She admitted, and quickly continued when Jane started to grin, "And if he happens to try then I won't stop him but you have to understand what I mean."

"Yeah, whatever." Jane grumbled. They were both silent as they made their way down the hill, waving at Hagrid as they passed.

"Did the Twins know you had a date?" Jane suddenly asked.

"Um, yeah," Alison answered. "I told George, which means he told Fred so…"

"And…?"

Alison paused, sending a curious glance towards the brunette and said, "And what? I told him, he wished me luck. That's it."

Jane seemed a bit put off but didn't say anything as they finally reached the carriages; a few dozen students were hopping into carriages and Alison managed to snag an empty one, lifting her trunk and bag into it – Manny was staying at the school since she lived in an apartment. Staying here, he could stretch his wings any time he wanted.

Just before she could say anything, the Twins appeared in front of her and she smiled at their flushed faces.

"Wishing Lee off well, I see."

Fred grinned, leaning again the carriage. "Of course, Ali,"

"Don't worry, we're not going to do the same to you." George added, winking at her and she chuckled.

"I should hope not," She said. "It's way too cold." As if on cue a cold burst of wind suddenly came through and the four of them shivered. Alison crossed her arms over her chest to trap some warmth. "I need to go. The train is leaving soon." Jane nodded and the two girls shared a tight hug.

"Merry Christmas," Jane said, adjusting her beanie. "My present will be there in a few days." Alison nodded and with a quick farewell to the twins, Jane took off back up the hill.

"Same with us," Fred said, pulling her into a hug. "We will send the present in a few days." She nodded, kissing his cheek before pulling back.

"Mine are in Gryffindor common room already, so don't open them!" She sent them a stern look, even as her lips twitched. "Wait until Christmas morning."

"It offends me how little faith you have in us, Spinner," George mock-sighed, bringing a hand up over his heart. "Right here – it hurts."

Alison rolled her eyes, pulling the ginger haired lad into a hug and muttered, "Oh, you have a heart?" She was rewarded with a chuckle and she grinned.

George pulled back, stuffing his hand into his coat pockets; opening his mouth, he went to say something but before he could another voice called out.

"Alison!"

Alison's cheek tinged with pink but she smiled at Roger as he came up to them, decked in warm clothing and hauling a trunk behind him. He grinned at her, nodding at the twins. "Fred, George." He turned back to Alison and gestured to the open carriage, "Mind if I join you?" Alison shook her head and his grin got a little wider. Leaning forward, he placed a firm kiss on her cheek, dangerously close to her lips and quickly got into the carriage.

Alison blushed heavily, her skin tingling from the contact. Fred sniggered and she threw him a glare.

"Shut up!"

"I take it the date went well?" George asked, but something seemed off in his voice. Alison frowned, shifting her stance.

"George?" She questioned – his expression was blank, nothing being given away except the mild irritation that leaked into his tone. She hadn't a clue why. "Are you okay?"

George smiled tightly, shaking his head.

"It's nothing," He muttered. "Merry Christmas, Ali." He turned and stalked back up the castle, head down and shoulders hunched. Alison looked at Fred but he just shrugged, muttering a quick goodbye and taking off after his brother.

Alison stood there for a moment, wondering what was wrong – one minute he was fine and the next… Did she do something? She tried to think of anything that had happened in the past few days that would have gained such annoyance but couldn't come up with anything. Perhaps it was their mother, or maybe Percy? Who knows, but she was a little hurt that George hadn't said anything.

"Alison?" Roger poked his head out, staring at her. She hummed and then shook her head, smiling at him and getting into the carriage. Roger sat back, letting her slid into the seat next to him, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Alison nodded. "I'm fine. George was just…" She trailed off, before shaking her head. "You know what, never mind."

Roger nodded and picked up one of her hands, playing with her fingers – she blushed and ducked her head, not meeting his eyes even as he grinned.

"So, I realized something yesterday," He started. "After we got back from our date."

"Hm?"

"I realized I had forgotten something and I couldn't for the life of me, figure out what it was," He picked up her other hand, tugging her gently so she was facing him. "Then it suddenly hit me last night and I thought I should remedy it the next time I saw you."

Alison raised her eyebrow, lifting her head, but was stunned into silence when Roger leaned forward and kissed her. She froze, not moving before closing her eyes and he sighed against her lips; one of his hands came up to cup her neck and she pressed her lips a bit harder onto his. Her hand snaked their way into his hair and behind his neck as they kissed slowly, neither one noticing when the carriage started moving.

Eventually, Alison pulled back but only a few centimeters; she was breathing heavily, as was he, but neither of them could contain the grins on their face. Roger leaned back in, kissing her soundly again and she all but melted against him as he pulled her close.

Everything slipped from her mind, everything except for Roger and how good of a kisser he was – for the first time in a long time, George wasn't on her mind at all.

* * *

George stabbed at his pork on his plate, his mood obviously sour and no one really understood why. Everyone except Fred, that is.

"You should have –"

"Don't." George said harshly, barely glancing at his brother. Fred sighed, leaning his head in his hand as he popped a cherry in his mouth.

"I don't know what you want, mate," Fred told him. George remained silent. "This was bound to happen and you know it, but you can't act like a prat just because some other guy got to her before you did."

"She's not a prize to be won, Fred," George muttered, and then sighed and placed his fork down. He rubbed his face tiredly and asked, "Did I ever tell you what happened last Christmas?" At his brother's confused look he elaborated. "Alison was on the armchair with me in Gryffindor common room and you took that picture that is in her necklace."

Fred nodded. "Oh, yeah! I remember!" Vaguely, but he remembered – a smirk grew onto his face. "I remember the mistletoe too." George rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, we kissed," George told him and Fred shrugged.

"I figured. The point?"

"The point is I kissed her! I kissed my best friend – _our_ best friend – and ever since I can't look at her without thinking about how much I wanted to kiss her again!"

"Well why didn't you?"

"I don't know!" George cried, dropping his head into his hands. "I thought… I thought maybe I was only thinking it because of that one kiss. I mean, she's _beautiful_ and intelligent and witty… why wouldn't I want to kiss her? But I wasn't willing to pursue anything if that was just the reason."

Fred nodded; he understood perfectly what George was saying but…

"What about now?"

George looked up at him. "Huh?"

"What about now?" His twin repeated. "It's been a year since you first kissed her and do you still feel like you want to kiss her? Do you still see her in that light?"

George stared at him for a few seconds before groaning and dropping his head onto the table, mindful of the food.

"I think I'm stark crazy mad for her, Fred."

Fred barely withheld a snort, settling for patting his brother's back soothingly.

"I _know_ you're stark crazy mad for her, George."

* * *

Alison was concerned.

These holidays were going surprisingly well, which is what was concerning her; her mother had welcomed her back with open (and really skinny) arms, suggesting activity after activity that Alison found she enjoyed but it was throwing her off. They had never spent a Christmas together since Alison left for Hogwarts and now, Clarice wanted to spend every second with her.

Don't get her wrong, Alison was loving it but it was still unnerving.

Clarice was asking about school, if she was alright after the disappearance thing, what her teachers were like, cute boys, etc. For the first time they had honest mother-daughter conversations – Alison told her about Roger (who she had been exchanging several letters with) and her classes. She mentioned Professor Lupin and her mother had gotten really quiet; she waved it off later, saying she had met someone with the last name Lupin when she was younger. Alison shrugged it off because honestly, there was a slim chance that it could have been her professor, and an even bigger chance that it wasn't.

But it was now the day after Christmas and the blonde's worries were back with full force. She had noticed that her mother looked frail and exhausted, even in her flattering outfits and make-up. She was always shaking too, just managing to pour herself a drink. Not to mention that George hadn't replied to one letter she had sent him and Fred had only sent one. It was driving her mad not knowing what was going on.

Biting her lip, Alison pushed the covers of her bed off herself and left her room. If she couldn't sleep, she might as well get something to eat.

Padding down the hallway Alison entered the open space and walked to the kitchen; the white tiles gleamed up at her and she ignored them in favour of getting herself some leftover cake from yesterday evening. When she turned around, she paused and tilted her head curiously at at the dozens of papers lining the counter. Curious, she walked over and picked one up.

 _Medical Report: Clarice Spinner_

Medical report? Alison set down the cake and sat down on a stool, her eyes reading down the page. As she did, her heart started beating faster and her hands started to shake, as she picked up another and another.

 _Patient expressed pain in lower abdomen in late June and a lump was found in her bladder. Cancerous._

 _Cancer has spread to kidney. Recommend chemotherapy immediately._

 _Terminal – estimated amount of time left: Four months_

A strangled sound escaped her throat and the paper dropped from her hand.

"You weren't supposed to find out."

Alison spun around, facing her mother who was standing in the entrance way of the kitchen; she looked nervous, and ashamed at the papers currently in front of her daughter.

"So, what? I was just to come home and find you dead on the floor?" Alison snapped. Clarice flinched and looked down. "Are you serious? Mum! You're… I mean, you're dying! How can you even _think_ to keep that from me?"

"I haven't been the best mother to you," Clarice admitted, walking forward. "And you are always so happy when you are at your school, I didn't want to ruin it." She reached forward to brush back Alison's hair but the blond slapped her hand away, glaring at her through her tears.

"You're dying!" She shouted, pushing herself off the stool. "You have cancer and you are terminal and you didn't tell me!"

"What was I supposed to say?"

Alison knocked the plate with cake on it on the floor, the glass shattering around their feet; Clarice took a step back with wide eyes but Alison didn't move.

"You should have told me the minute you knew!" Alison cried, a few tears escaping her eyes. "And you knew in July! That's why we went to Italy, wasn't it? And why you wanted me home for Christmas?"

Clarice looked at her calmly, "Yes."

Alison shook her head, a headache forming and she bit her lip to try and keep the tears at bay.

Her mother was _dying._ How was she supposed to cope with that? Sure, they had never been close but at the end of the day her mother was all she had. And she was furious with her for not saying anything about it earlier.

In a split second decision, Alison spun on her feet, ignoring her mother's voice and stomped over to the fireplace. Starting the fire, she pulled the hidden pouch of floo powder out from one of the crevices – Arthur had connected her fireplace to theirs a few years ago – and stepped in. Her mother was watching her sadly.

"Ali-"

"Don't." Alison croaked. "I am… so angry and hurt and sad and I just… I can't believe…" She shook her head and yelled out the Weasley's address, watching as her mother's gaunt face swirled out of existence in a mix of colours and blinding light. Her person was pulled in every which way but nothing caused greater pain than the ache in her chest.

As sudden as she was taken away she came to a stop and just like that, her legs gave up on her as she stumbled out of the fireplace. A hand came up to cover her mouth as her knees hit the floor hard and she let out a sob, which let out another one and another until her entire body was wracking with them. It didn't occur to her that it was night time or that the Twins weren't even here – she just cried, tears rolling down her face as she hunched over to desperately ease the pain in her chest.

"What in heaven's – Alison!"

Alison looked up – Molly and Arthur were standing on the stairs, both in their night attire, with their wands out in front of them. They lowered it though, when the blonde looked at them; Molly gasped and tucked her wand away, hurrying over to the crying girl and kneeling down.

"Oh, Alison, dear," She said soothingly and that just made her cry more. Molly drew the young girl into a hug, patting down the hair on the back of her softly. Alison continued to sob loudly against her, seeking comfort. "What happened?"

Alison shook her head, struggling to hold the sobs in and just managed to get out, "M-my mother – she's dying!"

The words just caused her to start crying all over again and Molly rocked her softly, trying to calm her down; Arthur stepped down beside them, placing a hand on the blonde girl's back and sharing a concerned look with his wife. Alison had been apart their family for five years now and to see her so distraught… it was disconcerting.

Eventually, they managed to get her to stop crying long enough for them to get the entire story. After that, Molly helped her to Fred and George's room, claiming she was welcomed to stay for the night. Alison cried herself to sleep quietly, her emotions still all over the place. She remained there for the night before returning home – she apologized profusely to Molly and Arthur but they just waved her off – and sitting down with her mother. Clarice explained that she was currently in the last stage of cancer and it was terminal, there was nothing they could do; when she realized that she was dying, she decided that she would try and be a better person for the last few months of her life. They both cried and stayed on the lounge for the rest of the day, Alison promising she would come to her mother's next appointment for support.

It hurt, definitely, to know that her mother was dying but there was nothing she could do. She just had to be a good daughter and support her mother, from right beside her or from far away.

* * *

The next Sunday, Alison reluctantly boarded the train back to Hogwarts after getting assurances form her mother to update her on every little thing. She clambered onto the train and collapsed in a compartment, feeling exhausted.

"Well… you look like hell."

"Aren't you charming?" Alison said wryly and Roger shrugged, frowning as he sat down across from her. He took note of her rumpled clothing

"It's the truth, isn't it?" He eyed the bags under her eyes. "You should sleep, Alison. For a few hours at least, before we get back to school."

Alison chewed the inside of cheek in contemplation before sighing and nodding; Roger was right, she needed sleep. The past few nights she couldn't sleep properly, constantly waking up or just tossing and turning. Not to mention the fact that the appointment on Wednesday revealed that the cancer had spread to the liver and they couldn't slow it down. It had been a rough week.

"Come here," Roger stood up and moved to sit beside Alison, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her so her head was against his chest. She got comfortable, already feeling herself drift off but she hung on.

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for," He murmured, pressing a kiss to her head. "Just sleep, we can talk when you wake up."

She was asleep before he had even finished the sentence.

* * *

When Alison woke up next the train was just pulling into the station, laying in the same position from hours before. Her eyes widened and she scrambled to sit up, startling Roger.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She blushed, smiling apologetically. "You should have woken me up or just moved or something!"

"It's fine, Alison," He yawned and shook hiss head, running a hand through his hair. "You needed sleep and trust me, I wasn't exactly uncomfortable." Her blush deepened at his smirk. "Besides, isn't that what boyfriends do?"

Alison raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Now who says you are my boyfriend?"

He leaned forward and captured her lips with his own, pressing down hard and bringing a hand up to tangle in her sleep mused hair. She gasped softly, eyes falling shut and reached up to grasp his shoulder. He pulled away a second later, winking, and she laughed brightly and reached forward to kiss him again.

"Okay, I guess that would make you my boyfriend."

"Yep!" He grinned, kissing her shortly once more before standing up and pulling her with him. "Come on! I'm looking forward to Hogwarts' food, aren't you?" They collected their bags and got off the train holding hands; Alison was still smiling, and she felt a little happier than she had for two weeks.

That went away when as soon as she spotted the twins at the gate when their carriages pulled up.

"Ali-"

She strode straight pass them, not acknowledging their existence – she was too busy being angry to even respond to their confused questions.

They almost a week to owl her about her mother (she was positive that their parents must have said something) and they hadn't – whatever they had been irritated at her before she left had carried over into the holidays apparently, but to ignore the fact that her mother was dying? That was cold. And now they had the nerve to show up and act like nothing had happened – she was _not_ impressed in the slightest.

As she stormed up towards the castle, she heard the hurry after her, both calling her names – they only stopped when Roger told them that she didn't want to talk to them just yet and she was pretty sure Fred snarled a remark back.

She ignored them.

By the time Alison reached the castle foyer, she felt drained once again. Her eyes fluttered in a desperate attempt to keep herself awake and she yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm going to take a nap, I think," She told Roger and he nodded, giving her a light kiss. She smiled briefly at the gesture. "Thank you."

"Get some rest." He ordered quietly, before taking off in the direction of Ravenclaw tower.

Yawning again, Alison turned to head to Hufflepuff dorms and paused when she caught sight of Fred and George in the courtyard; George caught her eye, his expression confused and hurt, and he took a step forward. She took off, her footsteps loud against the stone floors – she couldn't talk to them, not yet.

She completely missed the hunched form of George, and comforting hand Fred placed on his brother's shoulders.

* * *

 **Oh, what will happen with the Twins and Alison?**

 **So sorry for the slow updates - It's been such a long time! Honestly, this story isn't my number one priority but I have been writing little bits of it over time. I am still going to see this one through but the updates may be slow, that's all.**

 **I hope anyone who is still here enjoys this chapter! Shorter than the others but I feel it is the perfect length! :)**

 **Have a nice day/night, be nice to everyone, look out for each other and take a breath!**

 **xx**


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